President Donald Trump has said he ordered the US Navy to “shoot and kill” any small vessel caught laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, signalling an aggressive new maritime stance even as a ceasefire with Iran remains in place.
“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat … that is putting mines in the waters,” Trump wrote on Thursday on his Truth Social platform, adding there should be “no hesitation” in carrying out the order.
The president said the vessels involved would likely be “small boats” and claimed much of Iran’s naval capacity had already been destroyed.
He also ordered an immediate tripling of US minesweeping operations in the strait, a vital global shipping route that handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies.
The Strait of Hormuz has remained heavily disrupted since Iran moved to block access following the start of the US-Israeli offensive on February 28.
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Pentagon warns clearance could take months
Despite the current ceasefire — which Trump extended indefinitely on Tuesday amid stalled diplomacy — the Pentagon has warned Congress that fully clearing mines from the strait could take up to six months.
According to a Washington Post report, lawmakers were told Iran may have placed at least 20 mines in and around the waterway, with some deployed remotely using GPS technology, making them harder to detect and remove.
Trump suggested Iran may already be removing some of the mines and claimed most Iranian “mine droppers” had been destroyed in earlier US strikes.
