U.S. President Donald Trump on the 23rd (local time) warned that he would sink any vessel laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Truth Social that day, President Trump said, "I have ordered the U.S. Navy to shoot and kill any vessel, no matter how small, that is laying mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz," adding, "Do not hesitate."
Trump also said that during U.S. military operations against Iran, the United States sank 159 Iranian naval vessels, which are "resting on the seabed."
Regarding the U.S. mine-clearing operation in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said, "Our mine 'removers' are currently clearing the strait," and added, "I am ordering the operation to continue and to triple its scale."
Iran is exploiting the geographic characteristics of the Strait of Hormuz to lay mines and seize ships using fast boats. The fast attack craft are regarded as Iran's core "asymmetric force" for blockading the Strait of Hormuz.