US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the United States Navy to "shoot and kill" any boats laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, signalling a sharp escalation in tensions in the strategic waterway.

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"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," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

He added that US mine-clearing operations were already underway and would be intensified. "Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!" he said.

The directive came hours after the US military seized another tanker linked to the smuggling of Iranian oil, in a move that further raised tensions with Iran. The Pentagon released footage showing US forces boarding the Guyana-flagged oil tanker Majestic X in the Indian Ocean.

"We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate," the Pentagon said.

Ship-tracking data placed the Majestic X between Sri Lanka and Indonesia at the time of the seizure. The vessel had been bound for Zhoushan, China, and had previously been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2024 for transporting Iranian crude in violation of sanctions.

The seizure came a day after Iran attacked three cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz and captured two of them, intensifying concerns over security in a route that handles about 20% of the world’s traded oil.

Earlier this week, Trump extended a ceasefire while maintaining an American blockade of Iranian ports, even as maritime tensions in the region continued to rise.
 

Published on: Apr 23, 2026 6:33 PM IST