The US Navy has been ordered to “shoot and kill” any Iranian boats suspected of laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz during a ceasefire.
Defense One reported on this, citing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
During a briefing at the Pentagon, Hegseth said that with an increasing number of warships participating in the blockade, the US is not in a hurry to make a deal and that the US military has as much time as it wants.
“But with this blockade, the clock is not on their side. Moreover, President Trump has authorized the United States Navy to destroy any Iranian fast boats that attempt to put mines in the water or disrupt passage through the Strait of Hormuz, to shoot and kill,” he added.
Hegseth declined to elaborate on when the blockade would end. According to him, the operation will last as long as necessary. Since the blockade began last week, the US has deployed 34 vessels and intercepted at least three.
He also criticized allies and stressed that the war with Iran, launched by the US and Israel, should not be just an American fight.
“We are not counting on Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do, and might want to start doing less, talking, having less fancy conferences in Europe, and get in a boat,” Hegseth said. “This is much more their fight than ours,” he said.
Mining the Strait
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces have been laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz using small boats capable of carrying two to three mines since the US and Israel began military operations against Iran in March 2026.
At the same time, Iran has publicly stated that it is unable to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping because it “cannot” locate all the sea mines it previously laid.
At the end of April, it was reported that the IRGC Navy of Iran had laid additional mines in the Strait of Hormuz after the ceasefire began.
The emergence of new mines in the Strait of Hormuz threatens to delay the reopening of shipping even after a peace agreement between the United States and Iran and to deepen the crisis in the global oil market.
Earlier, a senior Pentagon official said it would take up to six months to fully clear the Strait of sea mines. The military would be able to begin such an operation only after the war between the United States and Iran ends.
The United Kingdom and France have initiated the creation of a multinational coalition to restore shipping in the Strait of Hormuz after peace is achieved. The Ukrainian Navy is also ready to join mine clearance efforts.
