President Trump has ordered the US Navy to shoot and kill any Iranian forces caught laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a dramatic escalation of the rules of engagement inside the blockade.
The order follows the US interception of four Iranian oil tankers in Asian waters this week and a Chinese-origin vessel carrying what Trump called “top secret” materials to Iran.
The Pentagon has privately warned lawmakers it will take up to six months to clear Iranian mines once hostilities end.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society says the M/V Touska, seized on Sunday, was carrying dialysis supplies for kidney patients.
The war is now functionally a shadow naval conflict, with lethal force authorised short of open fighting.
Russian Strikes Kill 22 Hours Before Putin’s “Truce”
Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least 22 people across Ukraine on Tuesday, just hours before Vladimir Putin’s unilateral two-day Victory Day “ceasefire” was
6 May 2026
