United States (U.S) President Donald Trump has declared that the country is controlling the Strait of Hormuz, a critical sea passage for crude oil.
This comes as the control of the Strait of Hormuz has been contested since the war between Iran and the U.S./Israel broke out in February.
Iran had blocked the waterway, crippling oil flow worldwide. This resulted in hiking of oil prices, forcing governments to take hard-hitting energy conservation measures.
However, in a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump claimed that the U.S is now controlling the Strait of Hormuz.
He said that Iran is having “a very hard time” figuring out who their leader is.
“We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy,” he said.
Trump added that the Strait would be “Sealed up Tight” until Iran can make a deal.
In another message, Trump said he has ordered the U.S. Navy to “shoot and kill any boat” laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and ordered stepped-up efforts to clear existing mines.
“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. There is to be no hesitation,” the president said in a post on Truth Social.
“Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled-up level!” Trump said.
The development comes as the U.S forces said they have interdicted a sanctioned vessel that is transporting oil from Iran.
“US forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean,” the statement reads.
The department says that the US military will continue to interdict vessels suspected of “providing material support to Iran”.
A maritime interdiction refers to the interception or inspection of a vessel by a navy on ships suspected to be hostile or in violation of the law.
The U.S has intercepted dozens of vessels since it began its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. It is not intercepting these ships near Iran, but further away in the Indian Ocean.
The comments come amid growing concerns that the threat of mines in the key waterway, as well as the standoff between the two navies, will leave the crucial trade route effectively blocked for some time.
