The U.S. military destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, one day after President Trump warned Tehran that any attempt to mine the critical waterway would draw consequences “at a level never seen before.”
U.S. Central Command posted a video of the strikes on social media pm March 10, confirming all 16 minelayers had been eliminated.
Ahead of the action, President Trump wrote on Truth Social, “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! 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. If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!”
Trump added that the same precision technology deployed in the Caribbean to target suspected drug-trafficking vessels was now being directed against “any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed that U.S. forces were targeting “inactive mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, wiping them out with ruthless precision.” He said the United States “will not allow terrorists to hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage.”
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. Roughly 20% of the global oil supply passes through the narrow waterway each day, connecting Persian Gulf producers to markets across Asia, Europe, and beyond. Shipping traffic through the strait has largely halted amid the standoff.
