In this handout photo provided by U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces patrol the Arabian Sea near M/V Touska on April 20, 2026, after firing upon the Iranian-flagged vessel that the U.S. accused of attempting to violate the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Navy | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Thursday said he has ordered the U.S. Navy “to shoot and kill any boat” that is laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
“There is to be no hesitation,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
The president added that he is ordering U.S. minesweepers to continue clearing the strait “at a tripled up level!”
The post shows the U.S. ratcheting up tensions with Iran over the vital oil-shipping route, which has been largely choked off since the war began in late February.
Trump has aggressively pushed Tehran to fully reopen the strait as part of a shaky ceasefire, which was set to expire this week before being unilaterally extended by the president.
The U.S. has imposed a retaliatory naval blockade on Iranian ports in an effort to force Tehran to loosen its grip on the waterway. U.S. Central Command said overnight that it has so far directed 31 ships to turn around or return to port as part of the blockade.
Trump, who has claimed throughout the war that the U.S. has already achieved victory, insists that America, not Iran, is calling the shots in the strait.
“We totally control the Strait, just so you understand, for all the fake news out there,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday.
But tanker traffic remains far below pre-war levels in the strait, which normally serves as the pathway for 20% of the world’s oil.
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