Trump: US destroyed Iranian 'mine-laying' vessels

The US  military destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the US Central Command said in a statement, as President Donald Trump warned that any mines laid in the Strait by Iran must be removed immediately.

Trump previously said the US had "completely destroyed" 10 inactive mine-laying vessels.

In apparent response to media reports that Iran had begun laying mines in the waterway, a key passage for oil shipments, Trump posted on Truth Social: "If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!"