Trump issues ‘shoot and kill’ order in Strait of Hormuz amid Iran war – ‘no hesitation’ | World | News
Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has ordered the US Navy to shoot down all boats laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. In his post on the Truth Social platform, the US President said: “I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill every boat and small boat that lays mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz (ALL of the Navy ships, 159 of them are at the bottom of the sea!). There should be no hesitation.
“In addition, our minesweepers are currently clearing the Bosphorus. I order that this activity continue to increase threefold!” The US military on Thursday seized another tanker linked to smuggling Iranian oil, further escalating the standoff with Iran a day after the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized control of two vessels in the crucial waterway.
The US President’s fiery rhetoric is reminiscent of his recent threat regarding Iran that “a civilization will end tonight”.
The Ministry of Defense published video footage of US forces on the deck of the Guinean-flagged oil tanker Majestic X, which was seized in the Indian Ocean.
The statement from the Pentagon included the following statements: “We will continue global maritime sanctions to disrupt illicit networks and ban ships providing material support to Iran wherever they operate.”
Ship tracking data showed that the Majestic He was going to Zhoushan, China.
The ship was previously named Phonix and was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2024 for smuggling Iranian crude oil in violation of US sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
There has been no response from Iran yet to the news of the seizure.
This came a day after Iran attacked three cargo ships in the strait and seized two of them, in a move that intensified its attack on ships in the key waterway through which 20% of the world’s traded oil passes in peacetime.
US President on Tuesday Donald Trump He extended the ceasefire while maintaining the American blockade of Iranian ports. There was no indication yet whether the peace talks, previously hosted by Pakistan, would resume anytime soon.
The conflict between the US and Iran has resulted in a virtual halt to almost all exports through the strait, with no end in sight.
On Thursday, Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi was splashed with a red liquid as he left a building after a press conference in Berlin. The alleged perpetrator was immediately detained by the police.
During the event, Pahlavi criticized the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, suggesting that the agreement assumes that the Iranian government’s behavior will change and that “you’re going to deal with people who suddenly become pragmatists.”
Mr. Pahlavi, 65, has lived in exile for nearly 50 years. He hated his father, the Shah of Iran, so much that in 1979 millions of people took to the streets to remove him from power. Still, Pahlavi is trying to position himself as a player in his country’s future.
More than 30 ships have been attacked in the waters of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman since the war between Iran, Israel and the USA began on February 28.
The threat of attack, rising insurance premiums and other fears prevented traffic from passing through the strait. Iran’s ability to restrict traffic in the strait, which extends from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has proven to be a major strategic advantage.
The ceasefire became tense due to US attacks on Iranian ships and Iranian attacks on commercial ships. It also remains unclear when or whether the two sides will meet again in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, where officials say they are still trying to bring the countries together to reach a diplomatic agreement.
The conflict has already sent gas prices soaring far beyond the region and has increased the cost of food and many other goods. Officials around the world have warned that the pandemic’s impact on businesses, consumers and economies could be long-lasting.
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