Mr. Trump ordered the ‘destruction of the Iranian mine-laying ship’ in Hormuz

“I have ordered the US Navy to shoot down and destroy all Iranian boats that are laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, no matter how small they are. No hesitation is allowed,” President Donald Trump wrote on social networks today, adding that all 159 Iranian naval ships “are on the seabed.”

President Trump also confirmed that US minesweepers are carrying out mine clearance missions in the Strait of Hormuz. “I ordered that operation to be maintained, but it needs to be increased threefold!”, he said.

In another post on social media, Mr. Trump declared that the US “has complete control” of the Strait of Hormuz. “No ship can enter or exit without US naval approval. The strait will be ‘locked’ until Iran can make an agreement,” the US President wrote.

Iranian officials have not commented on the information.

Mr. Trump announced last month that the US military would attack all minelaying ships in the Strait of Hormuz. This issue has become the focus of attention as the US President seeks to re-establish maritime traffic through the region, amid increasing pressure on the global economy due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

According to US intelligence sources, Iran began laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz in early March. President Trump at that time warned that if Iran did not remove the mines, they would face consequences “at an unprecedented level”.

The Iranian military announced at the end of March that there was “no need” to lay mines in the Gulf to assert its power, but would use “all possible means to ensure security when necessary.”

Besides the risks to commercial ships operating in the area, mines in the Strait of Hormuz could delay efforts to reopen this important shipping lane.

Theo CNNUS Department of Defense officials last week reported to congressional lawmakers that it would take up to 6 months to completely clear the mines in the Strait of Hormuz after the conflict with Iran ended. However, a Pentagon spokesman on April 22 said it was “unacceptable” that the Strait of Hormuz should be closed for 6 months.

Admiral Bradley Cooper, commander of Central Command, the unit in charge of US military operations in the Middle East, said last week that they are “fully capable” of clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Washington has been carrying out cleanup operations.