President Trump said Thursday that the U.S. Navy will “shoot and kill” any boat that lays mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway at the heart of his conflict with Iran.
“There is to be no hesitation,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Mr. Trump issued the order as the U.S. waits for Iran to submit a unified peace proposal to Pakistani mediators seeking to end the conflict.
Mr. Trump says Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon, and that so far, Tehran has not offered a proposal that meets his demands. However, the U.S. president is giving Iran space to bring its factions together and submit a plan.
“The infighting is between the ‘Hardliners,’ who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the ’Moderates,’ who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY!” Mr. Trump said Thursday in a separate social media post.
Mr. Trump said he will maintain a ceasefire while Iran drafts its proposal, and that he has no fixed timetable for when fighting might resume.
SEE ALSO: Iran says it is collecting transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz
However, his shoot-and-kill order underscored tensions in waterways around Iran and the fragile nature of the ceasefire.
Mr. Trump imposed a blockade on maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports, hoping to squeeze Tehran economically and force it to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran is clamping down on the strait, however. It seized two foreign ships on Wednesday, and its ability to lay mines in the strait is a major concern for Mr. Trump.
The president said the Navy will watch for small boats that lay mines. He said larger ships were all sunk in the earlier days of the U.S.-Israel operations against Iran, which began Feb. 28.
“Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now,” Mr. Trump said Thursday. ”I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!”
Mr. Trump said the U.S. had the upper hand.
SEE ALSO: U.S. military says it seized another oil tanker associated with Iran
“We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy,” he wrote. “It is ‘Sealed up Tight,’ until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL!!!”
Later Thursday, Mr. Trump said he has “all the time in the world” but Iran does not.
“Time is not on their side!” he wrote on social media. “A Deal will only be made when it’s appropriate and good for the United States of America, our Allies and, in fact, the rest of the World.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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