US President Donald Trump warned Tehran to immediately remove any mines from the strategic strait, saying failure to do so could trigger consequences “at a level never before seen.”
BY PC Bureau
March 11, 2026: Iran has begun placing naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz—the world’s most important energy chokepoint through which about one-fifth of global crude oil flows—according to two people familiar with US intelligence assessments, CNN reported.
The mining activity is currently limited, with only a few dozen mines believed to have been deployed in recent days, sources told the network. However, Iran still retains roughly 80% to 90% of its fleet of small boats and mine-laying assets, meaning it could rapidly escalate the operation by deploying hundreds more mines if it chooses.
Previous intelligence assessments indicate that Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which effectively controls the waterway along with Iran’s conventional navy, has the capability to create a defensive “gauntlet” in the narrow strait using dispersed mine-laying vessels, explosive boats and shore-based missile systems.
Responding to the reports, US President Donald Trump issued a warning on Truth Social on Tuesday, demanding that any mines placed in the strait be removed immediately.
“If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait—and we have no reports of them doing so—we want them removed immediately,” Trump wrote. He added that if the mines were not cleared, Iran would face consequences “at a level never before seen.” Removing “what may have been placed,” he said, would be “a giant step in the right direction.”
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth later said American forces had already begun responding. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), he said the United States Central Command was acting on Trump’s orders and targeting vessels linked to Iranian mining operations.
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“US Central Command has been eliminating inactive mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz—wiping them out with ruthless precision,” Hegseth wrote. “We will not allow terrorists to hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage.”
The command later confirmed that several Iranian naval vessels near the strait had been destroyed, including 16 ships identified as mine-layers.
According to CNN, US officials also clarified that the United States Navy has not escorted commercial ships through the strait so far, despite earlier remarks by Trump suggesting that the option was under consideration.
The developments come amid rising tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States, heightening fears of disruption to global energy supplies moving through the strategic maritime corridor.
