US Navy Directed to Target Iranian Mine-Laying Vessels in Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy on Thursday to shoot and destroy any Iranian boat caught laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating pressure during a prolonged ceasefire extension with Iran. Trump also directed US minesweepers to triple mine-clearing operations in the strait, where the waterway has remained effectively shut for almost two months and an eighth straight week due to the conflict.

The US military intercepted two oil supertankers attempting to evade the blockade earlier this week; both are now anchored in Chabahar, an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman, according to the US military.

US forces boarded a sanctioned stateless vessel transporting Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean overnight, and the vessel is under escort by a US Navy destroyer in the Indian Ocean. Tehran attacked at least three vessels on Wednesday, Iran state TV reported, citing the foreign ministry that its armed forces are ready to respond to further threats.

Trump indefinitely extended a ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday evening, after which he stated on social media that no ship can enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz without US Navy approval, describing it as 'Sealed up Tight' until Iran makes a deal.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump wants Iran to agree to hand over its stocks of highly-enriched uranium, emphasizing that the blockade provides economic leverage over Iran, with the White House claiming Iran loses $500 million daily from halted oil exports.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that Iran welcomes talks but the blockade and threats are main obstacles to genuine negotiations. Trump said on social media there’s a battle ongoing between hardline and moderate factions in Iran, and he has repeatedly stated his war against Iran aims to prevent Tehran from ever getting a nuclear weapon.

The US and Israel started the conflict by bombing Iran in late February, with Israel and Hezbollah beginning a parallel war in March. A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, announced last week, runs through April 26. Israel and Lebanon are set to resume talks in Washington on Thursday, with a US ambassador expected to attend, according to a State Department official.

Vice President JD Vance abandoned a plan to go to Pakistan for further talks after it became clear Iran would not participate. Trump thanked Iran for heeding his request to cancel the execution of eight women on Wednesday, though Iran’s Mizan news agency said none of the eight women were facing the death penalty.

At least two fully laden Iranian tankers have sailed out of the Persian Gulf this week, according to data intelligence firm Vortexa, which suggests at least 34 Iran-linked tankers have made their way through the strait and US blockade line.

About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies are typically shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude rose for a fourth day to above $102 a barrel amid the standoff.