Trump Orders US Navy to Sink All Mine-Laying Vessels in Hormuz: What This Means for Global Security
Daniel Kim Views
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On the 23rd (local time), President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Navy to fire on and sink any vessel that lays mines in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. officials interpreted the order as a warning to Iran amid reports of mine threats in the waterway.
Posting on his platform Truth Social that day, Trump wrote, “I have ordered the U.S. Navy to fire on and sink any vessel that lays mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, even if it’s a small boat (shoot and kill). Do not hesitate.”
He also said U.S. forces have sunk 159 Iranian naval vessels during military operations and that those ships now lie on the seabed. He ordered U.S. forces to continue mine-clearance operations in the Strait of Hormuz and to triple the scope of those efforts.
Because the Strait of Hormuz is narrow, Iran can employ fast boats to lay mines or seize vessels without long transits. Fast-attack craft operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy are widely viewed as a key asymmetric asset for any blockade strategy in the strait.
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