President Trump has threatened Iran with unprecedented military consequences if it attempts to mine the Strait of Hormuz, as U.S. forces begin preemptively destroying Iranian mine-laying vessels to secure the vital shipping lane.
President Donald Trump issued a forceful ultimatum to Tehran on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, demanding the immediate removal of any naval mines placed in the Strait of Hormuz or face military retaliation “at a level never seen before.” In a post on Truth Social, the President noted that while the U.S. had “no reports” of active mining at that specific moment, he warned that any such disruption to the global energy chokepoint would be met with swift and violent force, including the use of specialized missile technology previously deployed against maritime drug traffickers.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed this “maximum authority” stance, confirming that U.S. Central Command has already begun “eliminating with ruthless precision” inactive Iranian mine-laying vessels as part of the ongoing “Operation Epic Fury.” Trump framed a potential de-escalation by Iran as “a giant step in the right direction,” even as the Pentagon evaluates high-risk options for escorting commercial tankers through the waterway, which has remained largely paralyzed since the conflict began on February 28.
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