President Donald Trump has issued a stark public warning to Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, threatening severe military consequences if any mines are found in the critical waterway and are not immediately removed.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday evening, Trump demanded that any mines placed in the strait be cleared without delay, warning that failure to do so would result in military action at a scale he described as never seen before.
“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 wrote. “If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before.”
The President added that the United States would deploy the same missile technology and capabilities currently being used against drug traffickers to destroy any vessel attempting to place mines in the strait. He warned that such ships would be dealt with “quickly and violently.”
Trump also left the door open for a diplomatic resolution, stating that if Iran chose to remove any mines that may have been placed, it would represent what he called a giant step in the right direction.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most strategically vital shipping lanes, with roughly a fifth of global oil supplies passing through the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman. Any disruption to traffic in the strait would have immediate and significant consequences for international energy markets.
The warning comes amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran, with the two countries yet to reach a new agreement over Iran’s nuclear programme. No confirmation of any mine-laying activity in the strait has been issued by US military or intelligence officials at this stage.
