WASHINGTON D.C April 23, 2026— President Donald J. Trump has directed the United States Navy to immediately “shoot and kill” any vessels — even small boats — caught laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as the U.S. intensifies efforts to reopen the vital waterway amid the ongoing 2026 Iran conflict.
In a statement posted Thursday on social media and reposted by the White House, Trump declared: “I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. There is to be no hesitation.” He added that U.S. minesweepers are actively clearing the strait and ordered the operation to proceed at a “tripled up level.”
The order comes as Iran has continued using small boats and Revolutionary Guard forces to deploy naval mines and harass shipping in the narrow passage between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 20% of the world’s seaborne petroleum and 20% of global liquefied natural gas, making disruptions a major threat to global energy markets.
U.S. officials say Iran laid dozens of mines early in the conflict that began with joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on February 28, 2026. Many of those mines remain unaccounted for, and the Pentagon has briefed Congress that full clearance could take up to six months.
Recent days have seen heightened maritime tensions. Iran has fired on and seized commercial vessels, while the U.S. maintains a naval blockade and has turned back dozens of ships attempting to transit the strait. Oil prices have fluctuated sharply in response to the standoff.
The Trump administration has described the minesweeping and enforcement actions as essential to restoring freedom of navigation, even as fragile ceasefire talks between Washington and Tehran continue. Iran has called the U.S. presence in the strait an act of aggression and insists it retains the right to defend its territorial waters.
No immediate comment was available from the Pentagon or Iranian officials on Thursday’s presidential directive. U.S. naval forces in the region include multiple carrier strike groups and specialized minesweeping units already on station.
Life News Agency will continue to monitor developments in the Strait of Hormuz and the broader 2026 Iran conflict.
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