A video screen grab shows the seizure of a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian guards. Reuters
New Delhi, Updated At : 02:00 AM Apr 24, 2026 IST
The US and Iran have hardened their positions after President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy to “shoot and kill any boat” laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran said it will not reopen the waterway until Washington lifts its blockade on shipping.
Washington imposed the blockade during the ceasefire; Tehran branded it a violation. In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “I have ordered the US Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.” He added, “There is to be no hesitation,” and said US mine “sweepers” were clearing the Strait and that he was ordering that effort “to continue, but at a tripled-up level.”
Trump also posted that ships could not enter or leave Hormuz “without the approval of the US Navy,” calling the passage “Sealed up Tight, until such time as Iran is able to make a deal.”
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a lead negotiator for Tehran, said reopening Hormuz was impossible while the maritime blockade and what he called “the hostage-taking of the world’s economy” continued. “A complete ceasefire only makes sense if it is not violated by the maritime blockade… and if the Zionist warmongering across all fronts is halted,” Ghalibaf wrote on X. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged diplomacy over pressure for peace talks.
The standoff, and the threat of mines in the key waterway, have raised fears the Strait of Hormuz could remain effectively blocked for some time. MarineTraffic data showed an almost total standstill of vessel transits; only the Greek-owned bulk carrier LB Energy had made the passage in the preceding 12 hours. Crude prices rose amid the turmoil, hitting $93.32 a barrel.
US Central Command said the number of ships it had turned around under its naval blockade of Iranian ports had risen to 31. Separately, US forces conducted “a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding” of another sanctioned tanker transporting Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean, the US Department of War said in a post on X.
Earlier, Trump said Iran was struggling to determine its leader and claimed the US had “total control over the Strait of Hormuz,” while accusing infighting between hardliners and moderates in Iran.
