President Donald Trump has announced that he has directed the U.S. Navy to use lethal force on any vessels suspected of laying naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
The US president in a post on his Truth social said there should be “no hesitation” in engaging such boats, regardless of size, claiming that hostile naval capabilities in the region had already been significantly degraded.
“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote.
“There is to be no hesitation. Additionally, our mine “sweepers” are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!
Additionally, Trump said U.S. forces had already destroyed 159 hostile naval boats, leaving them “at the bottom of the sea,” a claim that reporters could not independently verify at the time.
Sources have also said that Iran struggled to locate and remove the mines it reportedly placed in the area, making it difficult to fully reopen the strait for normal shipping.
Backstory
The Strait of Hormuz, which stretches between the Persian and Gulf of Oman, is one of the most significant chokepoints for oil flow worldwide.
As the main export route for major oil-producing nations like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, the Strait is strategically significant. Any disruption in this narrow passage can immediate ripple effects on global oil prices, shipping costs, and economic stability.
Meanwhile, the US and Iran have had series of back and forth over the strait with Iran closing the route and Trump issuing several threats over the route.
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