President Trump claimed Thursday he had ordered the US Navy to take lethal action against Iranian mine-laying vessels attempting to obstruct trade through the Strait of Hormuz — in another apparent blow to the recently extended cease-fire between Washington and Tehran.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “There is to be no hesitation.
“Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!”
The president’s announcement followed the War Department confirming the seizure of a sanctioned tanker transporting Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean, the second apprehension this week.
