Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill any boat' laying mines in Hormuz Strait

trump said thursday he ordered the navy to "shoot and kill any boat" laying mines in the strait of hormuz. "there is to be no hesitation," he wrote on truth social. he also ordered u.s. minesweepers to clear the strait "at a tripled up level." the strait has been largely choked off since the war began in late february. tanker traffic is far below pre-war levels — normally 20% of the world's oil flows through it. in peacetime, over 100 ships transited daily; now it's often single digits. on wednesday, just eight ships crossed, including three oil tankers, per lseg data. the u.s. has imposed a retaliatory naval blockade on iranian ports. central command says it has directed 31 ships to turn around so far. iran's parliamentary speaker ghalibaf said wednesday that reopening the strait is "impossible" as long as the blockade is in place. trump posted that "no ship can enter or leave without the approval of the united states navy."