The US Bombed 16 Iranian Ships In The Strait Of Hormuz, Claiming It’s To Stop It From Planting Underwater Mines
“If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump wrote.
The US has bombed 16 Iranian ships near the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil route, saying it is a “preemptive measure” to stop Iran from planting mines in the waters.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow strip of water — about 33km (21 miles) wide at its narrowest — between Iran and Oman, where nearly 20% of the world’s oil is transported.
After the US and Israel launched a joint unprovoked war on Iran on Feb. 28, killing hundreds of people, as well as Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior officials, Iran retaliated with waves of missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighboring countries with US bases and threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz down completely.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it would not allow "even a single liter" of oil to leave the region until US and Israeli attacks stop.
The disruption sent oil prices surging to more than US$100 a barrel.
Then, on Tuesday, March 10, the US claimed that Iran was preparing to plant naval mines in the strait to destroy passing ships.
US president Donald Trump demanded in a post on Truth Social that Iran remove any mines immediately, warning of military consequences "at a level never seen before" if it did not comply.
“If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump wrote.
The US then launched missiles, destroying at least 16 Iranian vessels in the strait as a preemptive measure and released a video of missiles striking the boats.
US defense secretary Pete Hegseth said the US would not allow "terrorists" to hold the strait hostage.
Iran's IRGC said it would continue firing on any ship attempting to pass without its approval.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain paused production at some of their largest refineries, according to the Washington Times.
The International Energy Agency has agreed to release a record 400 million barrels of crude oil in response to the disruption, according to Al Jazeera.
Since Feb. 28, the war has killed more than 1,255 people in Iran, about 634 people in Lebanon, 43 across the Gulf and Iraq, 14 in Israel and seven US soldiers.
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