The United States has said it destroyed 16 Iranian minelayers close to the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, as markets fluctuate and concerns mount over oil supplies traveling through the critical waterway.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees U.S. forces deployed in the Middle East, said that more than a dozen minelayers were targeted in a flurry of attacks on Iranian naval vessels.
CENTCOM posted footage showing American munitions striking multiple ships in what appeared to be several locations. The word “unclassified” is branded across the top of the clips.
President Donald Trump has warned Iran it would face consequences “at a level never seen before” if it placed mines in the Strait of Hormuz, although he said there was no indication they had done so. The president said any vessel attempting to mine the waterway “will be dealt with quickly and violently.”
Tehran has laid a “few dozen” mines in the Strait in recent days, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing two anonymous sources familiar with U.S. intelligence.
Maritime traffic making its way through the Strait plummeted after Iran threatened to attack any ship traveling in the area, effectively cutting off access to the waterway that is just over 20 miles wide at its narrowest point.
Marine trackers show a huge drop off in ships in the Strait after at least nine vessels were targeted in the early days of the conflict. Oil prices soared on Monday as the chokehold on the strait continued, with Iranian strikes interrupting oil operations for U.S.-aligned Gulf states, exacerbating fears of a shortage.
Trump threatened to hit Iran “twenty times harder” if the country did not allow more oil tankers to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz. By contrast, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said not “one liter of oil” would make it out of the region.
This is a breaking story. More to follow.
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