Washington DC: As US-Iran tensions continue to escalate, US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the US Navy to use lethal force against boats suspected of laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
“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. There is to be no hesitation,” Trump said in an early morning (US Eastern time) post on Truth Social.
“Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up l
evel!” the President added.
In another post, Trump took a dig at Iranian leadership.
“Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know! The infighting is between the ‘Hardliners,’ who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the ‘Moderates,’ who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY! We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is ‘Sealed up Tight,’ until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL!!!”
According to the Pentagon, US forces boarded the “sanctioned stateless” tanker M/T Majestic X overnight, claiming it was carrying Iranian oil. Pentagon also said a Navy destroyer is escorting another Iran-linked vessel, Dorena, after it allegedly attempted to breach the blockade.
Iran has said the strait will not fully reopen as long as the US continues to violate the ceasefire. The continuing disruption in the narrow but critical waterway has driven oil and gas prices north, shaking global markets.