President Donald Trump has ordered the US military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz, he said today, a day after Iran again displayed its ability to thwart traffic through the channel.
Trump’s post on social media came shortly after the US military seized another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil, ratcheting up a standoff with Tehran over the strait through which 20% of all crude oil and natural gas traded passes.
“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be ... that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump posted, adding that US minesweepers "are clearing the Strait right now".
“I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!” he added.
Meanwhile, it was still unclear when, or if, the two sides would meet again in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, where mediators are trying to bring the countries together to reach a diplomatic deal.
Negotiations initially planned for this week have not happened. Iran insists it will not attend until the US ends its blockade on Iranian ports and ships. America insists it will not take part until Tehran opens the strait to international traffic.
Pope Leo XIV, returning home from a trip to Africa, urged the US and Iran to return to talks to end the war.
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