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President Donald Trump ordered the United States Navy on Thursday to fire upon and kill any vessel caught placing mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, with explicit instruction not to hesitate, in an unprecedented military escalation announced on his platform Truth Social.
"I have ordered the United States Navy to fire upon and kill any vessel, no matter how small (all of their warships, all 159 of them, are at the bottom of the sea!), that is laying mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. There should be no doubt," Trump wrote.
In the same message, he announced that the U.S. minesweepers are already operating in the strait and ordered to triple that activity immediately.
Minutes later, Trump released a second message in which he stated that the United States has total control over the Strait of Hormuz and that no ship can enter or exit without approval from the U.S. Navy.
"It is sealed tightly until Iran is able to reach an agreement," he stated.
The leader also spoke about the internal crisis of leadership in Iran, noting that the "hardline" sectors have suffered "very badly" on the battlefield, while the "moderates" are gaining ground.
The statements come one day after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) opened fire without warning on a container ship in the strait, causing damage, as confirmed by the UK Maritime Organization.
On that same Wednesday, Trump had extended the ceasefire mediated by Pakistan, but the Iranian state television refused to comply.
The crisis dates back to February 28, when Operation Epic Fury, a joint attack by the United States and Israel, destroyed more than 90% of Iran's missile capacity, 95% of its drones, and over 1,000 military and nuclear targets, also resulting in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz on March 4 using mines, drones, and missiles, blocking 20% of the world's oil and driving the price of Brent crude from $67 to over $126 per barrel.
After the failure of the negotiations in Islamabad on April 12, where the U.S. delegation led by JD Vance, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner was unable to reach an agreement after more than twenty hours of discussions, Trump imposed a naval blockade that went into effect on April 13.
Since then, at least 19 ships have turned back due to the blockade, and on April 19, U.S. Marines boarded the Iranian cargo ship MV Touska after it was disabled by the destroyer USS Spruance.
Iran is also experiencing a deep internal crisis: Mojtaba Jamenei, son of the deceased leader, has assumed the role of new Supreme Leader but is injured and lacks religious legitimacy, while the IRGC removed the moderate Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi from the negotiations, with General Baqeri taking control.
The negotiating positions remain irreconcilable: Washington demands the complete dismantling of Iran's nuclear program and a twenty-year moratorium on uranium enrichment, while Tehran offers only five years and claims $270 billion in compensation.
A military report shared with Congress estimated on Wednesday that completely clearing the mines from the Strait could take up to six months.
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