Trump Orders U.S. Navy to 'Shoot and Kill' Any Boat Laying Mines in Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy “to shoot and kill” any Iranian boat laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, insisting American forces still have “total control” over the crucial waterway, despite Iran’s seizing of two vessels.

“There is to be no hesitation,” he said, adding that U.S. mine sweepers are continuing to clear the waterway—a process that could reportedly take up to six months.

Dismissing Iran’s long-standing chokehold over the key trade passage, Trump added: “No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is ‘sealed up tight’ until such time as Iran is able to make a deal.”

The directive follows Trump's extension of the fragile U.S.-Iran cease-fire earlier this week and after Iranian soldiers targeted three vessels in the Strait before seizing two of them.

Iranian state media named the two vessels seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy as the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and Liberia-flagged Epaminondas. A third vessel, Euphoria, reportedly escaped capture.

Technomar Shipping Inc, the Greek operator of Epaminondas, confirmed to TIME that the ship had been seized by Iranian authorities and they were working with regional partners to resolve the situation.

Iranian state TV later aired footage it said depicted the armed, masked members of the IRGC boarding the seized vessels.

The Iranian government has maintained that it controls the Strait of Hormuz, moving to impose tolls on vessels that seek safe passage—a move Trump vowed to stop with the U.S. naval blockade of Iran's ports in the Strait.

U.S. Central Command reported it has directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port since the start of the blockade on April 13.

Overnight, U.S. forces boarded a sanctioned ship in the Indian Ocean that was transporting oil from Iran, the military said in a statement Thursday morning.

“We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate," read the statement. “International waters cannot be used as a shield by sanctioned actors. The Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their vessels freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain.”

The struggle within international waters is taking place against the backdrop of stalled peace talks between the U.S. and Iran. 

Vice President J.D. Vance, who is set to once again lead the U.S. delegation, was expected to travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, this week for a second round of negotiations. But he remains grounded as Tehran has yet to confirm if they will return to the table, despite mediator Pakistan urging both sides to attend.

Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, told state television this week that the uncertainty was not due to indecision on Iran’s part, but was instead down to "contradictory messages" from Washington.

“The reason for this is not indecision; it is the contradictory messages, contradictory behaviors, and unacceptable actions of the American side,” he argued.