In this handout photo provided by U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces patrol the Arabian Sea near the M/V Touska on April 20, 2026, after firing on the Iranian-flagged ship, which the U.S. accused of attempting to violate the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz.
US Navy getty images
President Donald Trump said Thursday he has ordered the U.S. Navy to shoot down and kill any boats that lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
“There should be no hesitation,” Trump wrote in a letter. satya social post.
The president said he was ordering American minesweepers to clear the strait “at three times the level.”
The post comes as the US is escalating tensions with Iran over the vital oil-shipping route, which has been largely closed since the war began in late February.
Trump has aggressively pressed Tehran to fully reopen the strait as part of a shaky ceasefire, but oil-tanker traffic remains well below normal levels.
The US has 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 overnight it had directed 31 ships so far under the blockade to turn around or return to port.
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