President Donald Trump on April 23 said he authorized the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” Iranian boats placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to ease trafficking through the strategic waterway.
The U.S. Navy was directed “to shoot and kill any boat,” including Iran’s fleet of “small boats,” that are laying mines in the strait, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“There is to be no hesitation,” he added.
The president said he would order U.S. minesweeping ships to continue to clear any mines that may have been set in the strait….