Trump Orders U.S. Navy to 'Shoot and Kill' Any Boats Laying Mines in Strait of Hormuz
The directive follows repeated Iranian actions in the waterway. On April 22, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired on three commercial ships and seized two of them claiming they violated passage rules.
Tommy Flynn
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced on April 23, 2026, that he has ordered the U.S. Navy to shoot and kill any vessel caught laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz while directing mine-clearing operations to triple in intensity.
In a Truth Social post, Trump stated: “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. 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 directive follows repeated Iranian actions in the waterway. On April 22, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired on three commercial ships and seized two of them — the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas — claiming they violated passage rules. The U.S. has seized at least two Iran-linked tankers in recent weeks for attempting to evade the ongoing American naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran previously laid naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz early in the conflict, severely disrupting shipping. U.S. officials have noted that Tehran has struggled to locate and remove some of those mines, contributing to ongoing restrictions on traffic.
The order comes as a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire remains in effect following stalled diplomatic talks in Pakistan. The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 20% of global seaborne oil trade and remains a flashpoint amid the broader standoff over Iran’s nuclear program and regional activities.
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