US Navy says all mines detonated as president vows 'immediate and systematic destruction' of any ship laying new explosives

By The South Asia Times

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the United States Navy has cleared all mines from the Strait of Hormuz, warning Iran of a "Zero Tolerance" policy against any further mining in the strategic waterway.

"I have just been informed by the United States Navy that all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within the International Waters of the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote on Tuesday .

Trump said Iran had been notified that "any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed" . He added that the US Space Force is monitoring "every square inch of the Strait" along with the suspected nuclear site at Pickaxe Mountain and "the already destroyed three other Nuclear sites" .

The president's declaration comes amid a protracted standoff over the strategic chokepoint, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies typically transit. Iran has effectively disrupted shipping through the waterway since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iranian targets in February, and Tehran has consistently linked full reopening of the strait to Washington meeting its conditions .

Iranian officials have previously dismissed Trump's claims of US control over the waterway. Supreme National Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei said earlier this month that "the gap between America's inability to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and its claim to own it is greater than the 7,000-mile distance between Washington and the Strait itself".

Trump's mention of "Pickaxe Mountain" refers to the heavily fortified underground facility near Iran's Natanz nuclear complex, believed to be buried as deep as 100 meters beneath the mountain. Construction at the site began in 2020, and experts have said it would be extremely difficult for US bombs to completely destroy the facility given its depth. Iran has denied any nuclear activity is taking place at Pickaxe Mountain.

The ongoing conflict has left more than 3,500 people dead in Iran, according to reports, with the Pentagon confirming 18 US military deaths and 756 injuries. The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the broader confrontation, with the US enforcing a naval blockade of Iranian ports while vowing to keep the waterway open for commercial shipping