Trump Orders U.S. 'Shoot to Kill' Any Forces Laying Mines in Strait of Hormuz
April 23—President Donald Trump said today that he has issued orders that U.S. forces shoot to kill anyone who is laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the choke point in the transit of energy supplies from the Persian Gulf which Iran has said it closed.
“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 wrote on Truth Social. “There is to be no hesitation.”
“Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now,” he added. “I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled-up level!”
Unclear Evidence and Existing Conditions
Trump offered no evidence that the Iranians had increased activity in mining the Strait. Sources report that the Iranians had placed some mines in the area weeks ago, but that new mining efforts were halted.
Meanwhile, Trump emphasized that his blockade of shipments to and from Iranian ports remained in effect, and that the Iranians had asked him to lift it. They have called the blockade a violation of the ceasefire that Trump has extended to allow Iran to formulate its negotiating position for talks in Islamabad to end the war. The Iranians have refused to come to the negotiating table for new talks until the blockade was lifted.
Pressure from Mediators and Policy Debate
Sources report that Pakistani government officials have urged Trump to lift the blockade before what is now a crisis, being played out with seizures of shipping by both Iran and U.S. forces, escalates further. Sources with knowledge of these discussions said that Trump might cast the action as "a sign of good faith" by the Americans. Trump reportedly rejected the idea, saying that the blockade had gotten the Iranians' attention because they were losing more than $500 million a day in cash revenues from oil sales. The sources then reported that if Iran agrees to negotiate, he would "temporarily" lift the blockade. These and other sources said that the situation was fluid and could change quickly, perhaps as soon as tomorrow.
Internal Divisions and Escalatory Push
Trump is being encouraged in pursuing this provocation by the lunatic war faction embedded within his policy team, which is led by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. While Trump desperately wants to end the war, which has already threatened to become a political disaster for him as he heads towards midterm elections in November, Crusader Pete and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu want the war to continue until it wipes the evil empire off the face of the earth, even if it risks hundreds of thousands of American lives in this misadventure.
Trump is being encouraged by these people and their flacks in the Anglo-Zionist media echo chamber to "stay tough" even if it means risking the stalled negotiations. “A source who spoke to the Iranians summed it up to me in one line, ‘The Iranians are going crazy about the blockade,'” Axios correspondent Barak Ravid reported yesterday.
Conflicting Signals and Uncertain Outcome
President Trump claimed that the Iranian government is in disarray following almost eight weeks of conflict.
“They’re all messed up. They have no idea who their leader is. You know, we took out, really, three levels of leaders. And everybody that was even close behind him,” Trump told MS NOW, referring to the assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of Operation Epic Fury.
Other sources say that Trump's actions are strengthening the position of hardline factions, linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, who want to pull out of any talks and want the U.S. to invade Iran, which they say will lead to the death of hundreds of thousands of Americans and a Viet Nam-like defeat.
However, these sources report that there is still a consensus favoring a negotiated settlement that would relieve all sanctions against the country. "Trump can still come out of this with a peace plan that will save countless lives," said one source, who had spoken with the mediators. "But he has to break with his own war hawks and lift the blockade."