16 Iranian ships planting mines near Strait of Hormuz sink after missile strikes
Sixteen Iranian ships that were laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz have been destroyed. Donald Trump and the US Central Command informed about the sinkings on social media. Iran has held the point hostage, leading to a rise in oil prices.
16 Iranian minelaying ships destroyed
The US sank 16 Iranian minelaying vessels operating near the Strait of Hormuz, just hours after Donald Trump issued threats over the vessels. “I am pleased to report that within the last few hours, we have hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine-laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday afternoon.
Watch the CENTCOME video here
Iran was laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz
The US Central Command also shared the news on its X handle. Earlier, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth had warned that Tuesday would be the "most intense" day of strikes in the war. Several reports citing US officials had claimed that Iran was laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. CNN and CBS News quoted sources who knew about US intelligence on the sea that Iran had already laid quite a few mines.
Trump had warned of military consequences
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier Tuesday. Iran has blocked the strategic Strait of Hormuz and is holding the point hostage amid the war with the US and Israel.
High tech missile capabilities were deployed to detect the ships
The president said that technology and missile capabilities deployed against drug traffickers were being used "to permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait." This was an apparent reference to the strikes carried out by the US in the Caribbean and Pacific in which more than 150 people had died.
Pete Hegseth also said that mine-laying ships were being actively destroyed in the Strait of Hormuz
Hegseth also informed on social media that the US was actively destroying these ships that were laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. “At the direction of President Trump, @CENTCOM has been eliminating inactive mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz—wiping them out with ruthless precision,” Hegseth wrote on X.
Strait of Hormuz is a vital point for transportation of oil
Iran has warned that any ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz will be attacked. Ebrahim Jabari, a senior official with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said that the IRGC and the regular navy will set such vessels on fire. The blockade has caused a major backlog in ships that transport oil and gas from Middle Eastern countries. This has led to a surge in global oil prices.
Strait of Hormuz closure has led to jump in oil prices
On Monday, a barrel of crude touched nearly $120, the highest since 2022. They dropped back below $90 after Trump said that the Iran war was nearly complete. Trump made a double statement on the war, first saying that it was almost done since Iran had "nothing left" - “no navy, no communications, no air force...no missiles, no drones and no place to manufacture the drones."
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