Iran installs additional mines in Hormuz... Trump orders "shoot to kill without hesitation"

Small vessel of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

It has been reported that Iran recently installed additional mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

Axios, a US internet media outlet, reported on the 23rd (local time), citing officials, that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz this week.

This is the second time Iran has laid mines since the outbreak of the war.

The US military detected and tracked Iran's mine-laying activities in advance and reported the relevant facts to President Donald Trump.

Subsequently, President Trump revealed via social media Truth Social that he had instructed the US Navy to open fire and sink any vessels laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

He emphasized, "I have ordered them to shoot and sink any vessel, no matter how small. There should be no hesitation."

The US estimated that it destroyed more than 90% of Iran's large mine-laying vessels and mine storage facilities during the initial airstrikes, but it is analyzed that mine stockpiles still remain in coastal areas.

Furthermore, Iran is known to use small, fishing boat-sized vessels for mine installation.

Small vessels can also be equipped with rocket launchers and machine guns, making them a threat to merchant ships.

It is estimated that Iran installed fewer than 100 mines during its first mine-laying operation after the war.

The US military is known to have identified the scale of the additional mines installed by Iran but has not disclosed specific figures.

Meanwhile, the US military is operating underwater drones in the Strait of Hormuz for mine removal and has deployed mine countermeasures vessels.

Meanwhile, the US Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush arrived today in the area of responsibility of the Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US forces in the Middle East.

As the number of US aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East increases to three, the naval blockade against Iran is expected to intensify further.

US Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush