U.S. Destroys 16 Iranian Mine-Laying Ships In Strait Of Hormuz After President Donald Trump's Warning

U.S. forces struck and destroyed a total of 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, the military and media reports said.

The Independent reported that “The U.S. has sunk 16 mine-laying ships near the Strait of Hormuz, the Pentagon said,” while Forbes summarized that “The U.S. military on Tuesday said it destroyed multiple Iranian naval assets—including 16 mine-laying ships—near the Strait of Hormuz.”

Forbes

InvestingLive likewise stated in its summary that “The U.S. military said it eliminated 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.”

President Donald Trump publicly warned Iran and then announced U.S. strikes, posting on Truth Social that the U.S. had “hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow!”

Forbes noted the strikes came “just hours after President Donald Trump demanded Iran ‘IMMEDIATELY’ remove any mines from the key shipping lane,” and investingLive summarized the sequence: “U.S. forces struck Iranian mine-laying vessels as Trump warned Tehran against attempts to mine the strategic Strait of Hormuz.”

Fox News

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) posted confirmation on social media and shared imagery of the strikes, with outlets quoting the military’s statement that it “eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels” including the 16 minelayers.

Forbes reported CENTCOM wrote on X: “U.S. forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz,” and The Independent likewise noted CENTCOM’s post that the military destroyed a total of 16 mine-laying ships near the strategically important waterway.

Reports cited by the outlets said U.S. officials were reacting to early information that Iranian mines may have been placed in the Strait, with CNN and CBS News named as sources for those assessments, and markets reacted with a sharp oil price spike.

The Independent noted that “CBS News had reported Iran may be getting ready to deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz, citing U.S. officials,” and that “People familiar with U.S. intelligence reporting on the matter told CNN Iran had already laid a few dozen mines in the key waterway in recent days.”

The Independent

Forbes added that CNN’s reporting was referenced even as Trump discussed taking control of the strait, which “about 20% of the world’s oil consumption passes through daily,” and The Independent said “Oil prices surged Monday to nearly $120 a barrel, the highest since 2022.”

U.S. officials and Iranian commanders traded sharp rhetoric as the situation unfolded.

“Whether any mines had been laid in the Strait of Hormuz since the war began on Feb”

The New York Times

The Independent quoted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying the U.S. “will not allow terrorists to hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage,” and Hegseth wrote on X that “At the direction of President Trump, @CENTCOM has been eliminating inactive mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz—wiping them out with ruthless precision.”

The New York Times

The Independent also cited an Iranian Revolutionary Guard official, Ebrahim Jabari, who warned: “The strait is closed. If anyone tries to pass, the heroes of the Revolutionary Guards and the regular navy will set those ships ablaze,” according to Reuters; Forbes additionally framed the strikes as following Trump’s high-level demands that mines be removed immediately.