By Mark Tanos
President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Navy to open fire on any vessel caught deploying mines in the Strait of Hormuz Thursday.
“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 wrote on Truth Social.
Trump also demanded that ongoing mine-clearing efforts be tripled. “Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!” he added. (RELATED: Trump Extends Iran Blockade, Ceasefire As Negotiations Remain In Limbo)
In a separate post, Trump insisted the U.S. holds full command of the passage.
“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!!!” he wrote.
No American warships are currently stationed inside the strait itself, ABC News reported. Seventeen Navy vessels are positioned in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, and all previous strikes against Iranian mine-laying craft have come from aircraft. A Pentagon assessment found that removing Iran’s mines from the waterway could require up to six months, ABC News reported.
The directive came one day after Iranian forces fired on three commercial vessels and captured two of them in the strait. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei acknowledged the ceasefire extension but did not confirm Tehran’s readiness to attend a new round of talks, the Associated Press reported.
U.S. Central Command has redirected 31 ships since the blockade launched on April 13. Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the strait cannot reopen while the American blockade remains, CNBC reported.
Trump said there is “no time pressure” on reaching a deal with Tehran, NBC News reported.
