Trump threatens to escalate attacks on Iran as US military destroys 10 mine-laying boats

President Trump on Tuesday threatened to escalate U.S. attacks on Iran if it has put mines in the Strait of Hormuz amid reporting that it has done so.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, made the threat but also indicated that the U.S. doesn’t have evidence of such activity.

“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. If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!” he said.

“Additionally, we are using the same Technology and Missile capabilities deployed against Drug Traffickers to permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait. They will be dealt with quickly and violently. BEWARE!” the president continued.

Minutes later, Trump said in another post that the U.S. military obliterated 10 inactive Iranian mine-laying boats on Tuesday. 

CNN reported earlier that Iran has begun placing mines in the strait, a key oil shipping channel in which Tehran has sought to block oil amid U.S.-Israeli attacks.

Sources told the news outlet that the mines are not extensive, but that a few dozen have been placed in recent days.

Asked for more information, a White House spokesperson referred The Hill to the president’s post. 

About one-fifth of global daily oil consumption flows through the strait. The conflict has essentially halted that activity and sent oil prices skyrocketing. 

In the wake of escalating prices, Trump has said the U.S. Navy might escort ships seeking to traverse the channel.

He also wrote Monday that the U.S. would hit Iran “twenty times harder” if the country “does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz.”

So far, the U.S. Navy has not escorted any tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, the White House confirmed Tuesday, but the option is still on the table. 

“That’s an option the president has said he will absolutely utilize if and when necessary at the appropriate time,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during the briefing.

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