Iran may be attempting to mine the strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, warning Tehran to desist from such a step.
"If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!', Trump posted. Iran would face military consequences "at a level never seen before" if it does not comply, Trump said. "If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!" The US would be sinking "ships and boats" laying such mines, he said.
Tehran has forced a near halt to oil and LNG flows through the strait of Hormuz after the US-Israeli attack began on 28 February with a combination of threats against any ships transiting the waterway and at least eight recorded drone and missile attacks on tankers across the Mideast Gulf.
Trump a week ago offered US-backed insurance and naval escorts for the ships willing to transit Hormuz and on Monday, said that "the Strait of Hormuz is going to remain safe." But only a handful of oil tankers have passed through the strait since the war began 10 days ago.
US intelligence agencies estimate that Iran had an inventory of 6,000 naval mines as of 2025, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service.
Trump also said in a social media post late on Monday that "If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far."
Trump's warnings to Iran somewhat contradict his statements suggesting that Iran's military potential has been effectively extinguished.
US energy secretary Chris Wright erroneously posted on social media on Tuesday that the US Navy had escorted a tanker through the strait of Hormuz. Wright deleted the post shortly thereafter, and the White House subsequently said that in fact the US Navy has yet to escort any ship through Hormuz.
US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Dan Caine said earlier on Tuesday that the US military is only starting to assess the feasibility of providing naval escorts for the oil and LNG tankers through the Mideast Gulf and the strait of Hormuz.
"We'll look at the range of options to set the military conditions to be able to do that," Caine said at a Pentagon briefing. Military commanders will then present their conclusions to Trump and defense secretary Pete Hegseth, detailing "what are the resources required, what is the command and control required, and what are the risks and how do we mitigate those risks", Caine said.
