Trump orders U.S. forces to strike boats laying mines in Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON, April 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he has ordered the U.S. Navy "to shoot and kill" any boat putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global energy waterway bordering Iran.

There is to be "no hesitation" for U.S. forces to attack Iran's "small boats" putting mines, and the U.S. minesweepers are clearing the Strait of Hormuz right now, Trump said on his Truth Social.

Trump added that U.S. minesweepers are currently clearing the strait, and ordered the operation to continue "at a tripled level."

U.S. defense officials briefed lawmakers this week on an intelligence assessment that it could take up to six months to fully clear the Strait of Hormuz of mines deployed by the Iranian military, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.