The US president claims to have “total control” of the waterway amid stalled talks
US President Donald Trump has threatened lethal force against any Iranian boats suspected of laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming that Washington now has “total control” over the key waterway until Tehran agrees to a deal.
The warning comes amid a maritime standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial transit route that accounts for approximately 20% of global oil and gas flows. Traffic has largely come to a standstill following the US-Israeli campaign against Iran and Tehran’s subsequent retaliation.
Despite the fragile ceasefire that Trump extended indefinitely earlier this week, the US has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports.
“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat … that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote in a social media post late on Thursday, adding that US mine-sweeping operations are ongoing.
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