President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the US Navy to “shoot and kill” Iranian boats still laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as US warships embarked on the time-consuming task of locating bombs in the waterway and clearing it for commercial shipping.<\/p>\n
The President’s push comes amidst the noise Worried it could take months<\/a> All mines in the strait, a vital transit route for 20 percent of the world’s oil, were uprooted.<\/p>\n Trump did not directly say how long it would take to clear the waterway, but urged the Navy to target any remaining boats still laying mines.<\/p>\n “There should be no hesitation,” he wrote on Truth Social on Thursday<\/a>. “Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the straits right now. I am ordering that activity to continue, but at three times the level!”<\/p>\n The president on Tuesday extended the shaky ceasefire between the US and Iran, but said he would continue the US blockade of Iranian shipping in the strait.<\/p>\n Iran slowed traffic on the waterway within weeks after the US and Israel launched a joint operation against Tehran in February. Due to this, global gas prices started skyrocketing.<\/p>\n The US blockade has strained relations even further, with Tehran now blocking peace talks until it concludes peace talks. <\/p>\n