He clarified that there are no confirmed reports of the presence of mines in the strait. However, he gave Tehran a warning.
“If for some reason mines were laid and they were not removed immediately, the military consequences for Iran would be on a level never seen before. If, on the other hand, they removed what may have been laid, that would be a big step in the right direction!” – Trump wrote.
The fact that the Iranian military has begun to mine the Strait of Hormuz shipping canal was reported by CBS News White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs, citing US intelligence services. To do this, Tehran is using small vessels capable of carrying two to three mines each, its sources said. There is no public data on the number of mines in Iran, but it is estimated that there may be between 2,000 and 6,000 made in Iran, China and Russia.
Context
On the morning of February 28, Israel and the United States announced military operation in Iran (Israel called it “Lion's Roar”, the USA – “Epic Fury”). Trump has stated his intention to protect the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime.
Bloomberg reported that in response to the escalation, Tehran is considering possibility of closing the Strait of Hormuz – one of the most important routes for the world oil trade. It supplies about a quarter of the world's seaborne oil supplies. Every day, millions of barrels of crude oil and petroleum products pass through it from the Middle East to Asia, Europe and the United States. Most exporters in the region do not have a viable alternative to this route.
On March 10, Trump threatened Iran with “20 times stronger” strikes if the Strait of Hormuz was blocked.
