President Donald Trump escalated the confrontation with Iran on Thursday, announcing that he has ordered the US military to “shoot and kill” any small Iranian boats caught deploying naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.
Trump’s declaration on social media came just hours after US forces seized another tanker accused of smuggling Iranian oil, deepening a standoff that has already disrupted global shipping and rattled energy markets. The president said the Navy has been instructed to respond without hesitation to any vessel attempting to mine the waterway, adding that American mine‑clearing operations are already underway.
The move follows a dramatic escalation the previous day, when Iran’s Revolutionary Guards attacked three cargo ships, capturing two of them inside the strait. The US Defense Department later released video footage showing American personnel aboard the Guinea‑flagged Majestic X, which was intercepted in the Indian Ocean.
“We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
Ship‑tracking data placed the Majestic X between Sri Lanka and Indonesia, near the same area where US forces earlier seized the tanker Tifani, which had been en route to Zhoushan, China.
The Strait of Hormuz a narrow chokepoint through which 20 percent of the world’s traded oil and gas normally flows has become the epicentre of a rapidly intensifying confrontation. With mine threats, ship seizures and military warnings now unfolding almost daily, global concern is mounting over the risk of a wider conflict and severe disruption to energy supplies.
+ There are no comments
Add yours