Navy to shoot and kill any boat laying mines in Hormuz Strait
In this photo provided by U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces patrol the Arabian Sea near M/V Touska on April 20, 2026, after opening fire on the Iranian-flagged ship, which the United States accuses of trying to violate the naval blockade of Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz.
US Navy | Getty Images
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he has ordered the U.S. Navy to “shoot and kill any boat” that mines the Strait of Hormuz.
“There should be no hesitation,” Trump said in his message. Real Social post.
The president added that he had ordered US minesweepers to continue clearing the strait “up to three times”.
The post shows the United States is escalating tensions with Iran over the vital oil shipping route, which has been largely blocked since the war began in late February.
Trump has aggressively pushed Tehran to fully reopen the strait as part of an unstable ceasefire, but oil tanker traffic remains well below normal levels.
The United States imposed a retaliatory naval blockade of Iranian ports in an attempt to force Tehran to loosen its grip on the waterway. US Central Command said in a statement overnight that it had so far ordered 31 ships to turn back or return to port as part of the blockade.
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