US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he has given an order to shoot down any vessels laying mines in the key Strait of Hormuz, as US forces seized a tanker reportedly transporting oil from Iran.
"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. There is to be no hesitation," Trump said in a social media post.
"Additionally, our mine 'sweepers' are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!"
The remarks came one week after Trump said Tehran "has removed, or is removing, all sea mines."
After the US and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28, Iran responded by effectively blocking the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to attack any vessels that did not obtain its permission to transit the waterway.
Tehran also suggested it had laid mines, though it never confirmed such an operation.
The blockade caused major disruptions to global trade, sending energy prices soaring and sparking frantic measures to prevent fuel shortages.
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has been a major sticking point in negotiations to end the war after a two-week ceasefire began on April 8.
Days later, the US implemented a blockade affecting ships coming from or heading to Iranian ports, as Washington tries to cut Tehran off from key revenue streams.
Trump unilaterally extended the ceasefire on Tuesday, but the blockade remains in place.
About 30 countries are preparing for a possible military operation to secure the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities have ended.
London and Paris want to organize a neutral naval operation that is clearly separate from the warring parties to escort and protect merchant ships. Germany is considering contributing to mine clearance and maritime reconnaissance.
On Thursday, the US Department of Defense (DoD) said US forces seized a tanker transporting oil from Iran, after Tehran claimed responsibility for three attacks on three commercial vessels in the key Strait of Hormuz a day earlier.
"Overnight, U.S. forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean within the INDOPACOM area of responsibility," the DoD said.
"We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate."
According to the tracking service Vesselfinder, the freighter was last located off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, about 60 kilometres from the city of Hambantota.
According to information from two days ago, the ship was en route to China's Zhoushan.
On Wednesday, a container ship was hit and severely damaged by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre.
A second incident was reported shortly afterwards. The IRGC claimed responsibility for three separate attacks on cargo vessels.
Despite the US blockade, some ships with ties to Iran are passing through the Strait of Hormuz, data provider Vortexa said in a report.
The outlet said 34 sanctioned tankers, or tankers with ties to Iran, passed through the area covered by the US naval blockade between April 13, when the blockade came into force, and April 21.
According to an assessment by the maritime data provider Lloyd's List Intelligence, at least 26 ships from the so-called shadow fleet had crossed the blockade by Monday.
The maritime software provider AXSMarine wrote that most of the traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continues to be accounted for by ship operators who are subject to sanctions or have opaque ownership.
Iranian media have claimed that the country's ships passed through the US naval blockade. The reports have not been independently verified, while the US Central Command has rejected accounts of breaches in its naval blockade.
Iran has emphasized that the US naval blockade is an obstacle to further negotiations.
