President Trump on Thursday ordered the U.S. Navy to destroy any vessel caught laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, issuing a blunt warning to Iran as tensions in the region escalate into open confrontation.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard seized two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, just hours after President Donald Trump extended a fragile ceasefire with Tehran, raising fresh doubts about whether negotiations can hold.
President Donald Trump issued a blunt public ultimatum to Iran on Sunday, warning the regime it has until Tuesday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its power plants and bridges.
Britain hosted a virtual summit Thursday with diplomats from more than 40 nations to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz -- a critical oil shipping lane that has been essentially shut down since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began on Feb. 28.
Britain is preparing to lead a multinational coalition to clear and reopen the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. military strikes on Iran, with British officers already embedded at U.S. Central Command and allied meetings underway, according to The Times of London.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to withdraw U.S. protection of the Strait of Hormuz from European and Asian nations that have refused to support American military operations against Iran, warning that non-cooperative allies could soon find themselves responsible for the waterway's security.
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."
