Trump Orders US Navy to 'Shoot and Kill' Iranian Boats Laying Mines in Strait of Hormuz; IRGC Calls Order an 'Overt Breach of Ceasefire'

President Trump ordered the US Navy to use lethal force against any Iranian boat laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, tripling minesweeping operations; Iran's IRGC called the order an "overt breach of the ceasefire," Iranian President Pezeshkian vowed retaliation, and a fourth Iranian tanker (Majestic X) was seized in the Indian Ocean as oil prices surged past $100 per barrel.

April 23, 2026 — Day 55 of the Iran War — saw President Trump issue the most direct lethal-force directive of the conflict to date, as the Strait of Hormuz mine crisis entered its sharpest phase. In a post on Truth Social, Trump ordered the US Navy to "shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be, that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. There is to be no hesitation." He simultaneously ordered minesweeping operations to be "tripled-up," citing a growing mine threat that Congress had been told could take six months to fully clear — a timeline the Pentagon publicly disputed. The directive escalated a confrontation that had been building since Iran closed the strait to commercial traffic in early March and the US declared a naval blockade on April 13. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responded swiftly, issuing a statement labelling Trump's directive an "overt breach of the ceasefire." The IRGC stated that any US attack on its vessels carrying out what Tehran described as legitimate operations in Iranian-adjacent waters would be considered an act of war. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, asked by reporters whether there were "radicals and moderates" within Iran's government who could be negotiated with separately, replied: "We are all 'Iranian' and 'revolutionary', and with the iron unity of the nation and government, with complete obedience to the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, we will make the criminal aggressor regret his actions." The statement was widely read as Iran's leadership presenting a unified front against Trump's attempt to exploit perceived divisions within the Iranian political establishment. On the same day, US Central Command confirmed it had intercepted and seized a fourth Iranian oil tanker — the Majestic X — in the Indian Ocean, operating in violation of US sanctions. The seizure brought the total number of Iranian vessels captured to four since the blockade began, in addition to the civilian cargo ships seized by the IRGC in the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command reported that 33 vessels in total had been redirected by the naval blockade, creating cascading disruption across global supply chains. Trump, speaking to reporters, dismissed the idea that the US was under any urgency to resolve the standoff. "I have all the time in the World, but Iran doesn't — The clock is ticking!" he posted. He also declared "total control" of the Strait of Hormuz, contrasting the US position with what he described as Iran's fractured and desperate internal state. In a separate post, Trump declined to give any timeline for ending the war, stating simply: "Don't rush me." Economically, the combined effect of the mine threat, IRGC ship seizures, and the ongoing blockade pushed Brent crude oil above $100 per barrel — a 40% increase from pre-war prices. US gasoline prices exceeded $4 per gallon for the first time since 2022, a number White House advisers acknowledged was politically sensitive for Trump's domestic standing. Companies diverting shipments around the strait via the Panama Canal route were paying up to $4 million in additional routing costs per vessel. European Energy Commissioner warned that the ongoing Hormuz crisis was costing Europe approximately €500 million per day. Despite the military escalation, the diplomatic track was not entirely severed. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on Friday — a signal, according to Pakistani mediators, that Tehran had not completely ruled out a second round of talks. The shoot-to-kill order complicated that trajectory significantly: any IRGC boat fired upon while laying mines would represent a direct US kinetic action against Iranian military forces, triggering Tehran's domestic red lines and potentially ending the ceasefire entirely.