Trump orders to attack any small vessel suspected of mining the Strait of Hormuz

Washington.- US President Donald Trump assured this Thursday that he has ordered the Navy to attack any small vessel in the Strait of Hormuz that could be deploying mines and said that they will intensify the mine clearance operations of the maritime route.

«I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea. Any and all of their ships, if they harass our ships on the sea, will be sunk.

The American "minesweepers" are clearing the strait

The Republican warned that the American "minesweepers" "are clearing the strait at this very moment" and ordered that "activity continue, but at a tripled level!"

In a second message, published minutes later, Trump reiterated that the leadership in Iran is divided, with «serious difficulties in determining» who is in charge and mentioned the «internal struggle» between the «moderates» and those of «‘hard line’, who have been losing badly on the battlefield».

"We have total control of the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is 'totally sealed' until Iran is able to reach an AGREEMENT," the president indicated.

Boarding a Tanker

Trump's posts come shortly after the Pentagon announced today the interception and boarding of an Iranian crude oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, the second sanctioned ship linked to Tehran that the U.S. has seized in the Indo-Pacific in three days.

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The United States has increased pressure and seeks to cut off funding routes to Iran during the ceasefire in the war that it initiated alongside Israel on February 28th.

Total Blockade of Iran's Coasts

Trump ordered the total blockade of the coasts of the Islamic Republic after a first round of negotiations that ended without results in Islamabad and after Tehran interrupted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route through which 20% of the world's crude oil passed. For its part, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced the day before the capture of two ships and attacks on another tanker in that passage, which it also claims to control. The President of the United States reported this Sunday that his country's Navy fired upon and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that attempted to breach the blockade.

A total of 31 blocked ships

In total, the U.S. has interrupted the passage of at least 31 ships since it initiated the naval blockade of Iran, in which more than 10,000 U.S. military personnel, about 17 warships and 100 aircraft are participating, according to figures published this Wednesday by Central Command (Centcom). Trump indefinitely extended the ceasefire with Iran until the Government of the Islamic Republic presents a unified agreement proposal and stated that there is a possibility that peace negotiations will resume next Friday in Pakistan.