Washington (TDI): The United States military destroyed 16 Iranian mine laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday in a preemptive strike, US Central Command said.
A senior official told Axios the targeted ships were inactive at the time but that intelligence indicated Iran was preparing to mine the waterway. Reports suggest that Iranian forces have already laid a “few dozen” mines in the strait in recent days.
President Trump, in a series of Truth Social posts, issued an ultimatum that any mines placed in the strait and not removed immediately would trigger military consequences “at a level never seen before.”
U.S. forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/371unKYiJs
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 10, 2026
Trump also said the US is using the same technology deployed against drug traffickers to “permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared that Iran has been “officially put on notice.” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard dismissed US claims as a “pure falsehood.”
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between Iran and Oman, just 24 miles wide at its tightest point, carries roughly 13 million barrels of crude oil per day, about 31 percent of all oil transport.
Read More: Aramco Warns of Severe Global Oil Shock if Strait of Hormuz Remains Blocked
There is no viable maritime alternative for most Gulf countries. Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser warned that if the blockade continues, it will have a “serious impact on the global economy.”
The ongoing war, triggered by joint US-Israeli air strikes on Iran on February 28, shows no signs of de-escalation yet. Regional spillover has been severe; Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE have all come under Iranian attack.
With no diplomatic channel currently open, no ceasefire on the horizon, and continued attacks from both sides, de-escalation seems unlikely. The Strait of Hormuz has been a flashpoint before, such as in the 1980s Tanker War, but not with such open military confrontation.
