President Donald Trump warned Iran against laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to blow up any ship attempting to do so, underscoring his determination to get oil flowing through the vital waterway after almost two weeks of war.
“If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump posted Tuesday on social media. He said removing them would be “a giant step in the right direction!”
In a series of follow-up messages, Trump said the US would use the same capabilities it deployed against alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean Sea “to permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait.” He said the US had destroyed 10 “inactive mine laying boats and/or ships” in the last few hours.
Trump posted the threat after CNN reported that Iran had laid a few dozen mines in the strait in recent days. The report cited two people familiar with intelligence reporting on the matter. CBS reported that intelligence assessments indicate Iran is taking steps to deploy mines.
Trump's comments and the related reports underscored the emphasis the administration is putting on destroying Iranian naval vessels in its effort to keep Tehran from disrupting tanker traffic through the passage. Almost all commercial trade through the Strait of Hormuz halted after the war with Iran began Feb. 28.
Earlier Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US is targeting Iranian mine-laying ships as part of the campaign against Iran's navy. US Central Command “continues today to hunt and strike mine-laying vessels and mine storage facilities,” Hegseth said in a press conference.
Spokespeople for the Central Intelligence Agency and US Central Command declined to comment. In 2019, the latest year in which data were available, the Defense Intelligence Agency estimated that Iran had more than 5,000 naval mines that could be deployed quickly with small high-speed boats.
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