West Asia war: Trump orders US Navy "to shoot and kill any boat" laying mines in Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he has directed the countrys Navy to take decisive action against any vessels attempting to lay mines in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tension over the virtual control of the waterway between Tehran and WashingtonIn a post on Truth Social Trump said there will be no hesitation from the US side to shoot down such boatsHe further in a veiled reference to Iran claimed that all 159 of their naval ships are at the bottom of the seaI 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 the post readThe US President further stated that he is also tripling the task for clearing mines in the StraitAdditionally our mine sweepers are clearing the Strait right now I am hereby ordering that activity to continue but at a tripled up level it addedThe remarks come amid heightened tensions in the region with concerns over maritime security and the safety of global oil shipments passing through the narrow waterway The Strait of Hormuz is one of the worlds most critical chokepoints handling a significant portion of international crude oil trade which has seen a significant disruption following the conflict in West AsiaEarlier the Pentagon had reportedly informed the US Congress that clearing naval mines allegedly positioned by the Iranian military could take up to six months highlighting a significant hurdle to regional stability despite a precarious ceasefireAccording to a US House Armed Services Committee briefing detailed by three officials to The Washington Post this timeline has triggered frustration amongst both Democratic and Republican lawmakersThe delay raises critical concerns that energy costs may stay high even if a broader peace deal is reachedSources told The Washington Post that Tehran may have deployed 20 or more mines within the Strait of HormuzA senior defence official informed legislators that some of these explosives were deployed remotely using GPS technology a sophisticated method that makes them harder for US forces to detectThe mining activity reportedly began in March amidst ongoing US and Israeli military operations Although earlier assessments by the Defence Intelligence Agency suggested a disruption could last up to half a year Pentagon spokesman Parnell told CNN that a sixmonth closure of the Strait of Hormuz is an impossibility and completely unacceptable to US Secretary of War Pete HegsethThe Pentagon has since disputed the reporting labelling the claims inaccurate and criticising the disclosure of information from a classified briefing A department statement suggested that the publication of these false claims indicated a preference for advancing an agenda than truthThe maritime dispute remains a pivotal flashpoint as Iran continues to link the reopening of the waterway to the lifting of the US naval blockade on its portsTrump has maintained his demands for Tehran to fully reopen the strait and abandon its nuclear programme as a prerequisite for peaceThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever