US destroys mine-laying vessels as Trump warns Iran over Strait of Hormuz
2026-03-11 - 00:54
WASHINGTON, USA – The US military “eliminated” 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, March 10, US Central Command said in a statement, as President Donald Trump warned that any mines laid in the Strait by Iran must be removed immediately. Trump had previously said the US had “completely destroyed” 10 inactive mine-laying vessels. In apparent response to media reports that Iran had begun laying mines in the waterway, a key passage for oil shipments, Trump posted on Truth Social: “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!” Must Read Iran bets on endurance, energy disruption to outlast US, Israel He added that if Tehran did not comply, it would face military consequences, without providing details. Trump also said the US was using the same technology deployed against drug traffickers to “permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait.” In recent months, the US has carried out a series of strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that it alleges were carrying drugs, killing dozens of people. The Pentagon said earlier on Tuesday that it was striking Iranian mine-laying vessels and mine storage facilities. The US-Israel war against Iran has already effectively halted shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, along Iran’s coast, where a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes. Post deletion The top US general said earlier on Tuesday that the US military has started looking at ways to potentially escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, should it be ordered to do so. “We’re looking at a range of options there,” General Dan Caine told reporters at the Pentagon. However, the US Navy has so far refused near-daily requests from the shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright posted on X on Tuesday that the US Navy had successfully escorted an oil tanker through the waterway, but later deleted