Us President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the United States Navy to open fire on any boat placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz, dramatically escalating Washington's posture in the waterway that carries roughly one-fifth of the world's traded oil.
"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! (sic)," he added.
The order came a day after Iran seized two cargo ships in the strait. Iranian state media posted dramatic video of masked IRGC commandos boarding the container ship MSC-Francesca from a gunboat, climbing its hull with rifles slung over their backs.
Another vessel, the Epaminodes, was also seized. The Philippine government confirmed 15 of its seafarers were aboard the seized vessels, saying they were "safe and unharmed."
US officials said a month ago that Iran had likely placed at least a dozen sea mines in the strait, using small boats that can carry two to three devices each.
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The Strait has been at the heart of the broader US-Iran confrontation. After 21 hours of US-Iran peace negotiations in Islamabad collapsed earlier this month, Trump announced a full naval blockade of the Strait, declaring Iran's toll system on passing ships "world extortion."
Iran has since collected its first toll revenues from ships passing through the waterway, with the country's deputy parliament speaker confirming the money had been deposited into the Central Bank.
In a separate development, British and French defence ministers separately said they were "confident that real progress can be made" on the Hormuz situation, as the two countries hosted a meeting with military planners from over 40 nations to coordinate freedom of navigation efforts.
A ruling on the legality of Iran's toll regime remains contested. The move is widely viewed as conflicting with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which Iran has signed but not ratified.
For now, Trump's shoot-to-kill order signals that the US intends to settle the dispute not in international courts, but in the water itself.
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