US President Donald Trump has claimed that all mines in the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz have either been removed or detonated, while warning Iran that any attempt to plant new mines will face a forceful response.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said Iran had been warned against placing additional mines in the strategically important waterway. He also claimed that the United States was monitoring the Strait through its Space Force.
Trump said American forces were watching “every square inch” of the Strait, underlining Washington’s heightened focus on the narrow maritime passage that plays a major role in the global energy supply chain.
“There is a Zero Tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect,” Trump said, signalling that Washington would not tolerate further efforts to obstruct or threaten shipping through the waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz has remained a key flashpoint between the United States and Iran. Although the two countries have not carried out air strikes against each other’s military forces for several weeks, attacks involving vessels in the Strait have continued as both sides compete for control of the strategic passage.
The waterway is particularly important to global energy markets because a significant share of the world’s oil shipments normally passes through it. Any prolonged disruption could therefore have wider consequences for energy supplies and prices.
According to provisional data from ship-tracking company Vortexa, around five million barrels of oil per day passed through the Strait on Monday. That figure is substantially lower than the more than 20 million barrels a day recorded before the war, when the waterway handled roughly one in every five barrels consumed worldwide.
Trump’s latest warning comes as tensions remain high in the region, with the status of shipping through the Strait continuing to be closely watched by governments, energy companies and international markets.
