Dubai: U.S. President Donald Trump, in a morning social media post, ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” Iranian small boats obstructing the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump also said the military is intensifying its mine-clearing efforts in the critical waterway.

“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be, that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump posted. “There is to be no hesitation. Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled‑up level.”

U.S. military seized another tanker

The U.S. military on Thursday seized another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil, escalating a standoff with Iran a day after its paramilitary Revolutionary Guards took control of two vessels in the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

The Defense Department released video footage showing U.S. forces on the deck of the Guinea‑flagged oil tanker ‘Majestic X’, which was seized in the Indian Ocean.

“We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,” a Pentagon statement said.