President Trump Issues NEW ORDERS; ‘No Hesitation’ in Strait of Hormuz

Even as the ceasefire remains technically in effect, President Trump continues to ramp up the pressure against the remnants of the Iranian leadership.

Today he announced a new standing directive for the US Navy operating in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran previously mined the Strait — weeks ago.

And there are conflicting reports that they’re still at it.

That news isn’t going over well in the White House, and President Trump is taking steps to ensure that no further mining takes place.

He dropped this fiery response earlier today aimed at Iran, and alluded to the apparent ongoing mining operations by Iranian forces:

Here’s the full text of that Truth Social post from the President, in case that’s hard to make out:

I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. There is to be no hesitation. Additionally, our mine “sweepers” are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP

The President preemptively addressed the fact that the Iranian Navy was previously claimed to have been destroyed.

He emphasized the use of Iranian ‘small boats’ to mine the Strait, not considered to be part of Iran’s conventional Naval force, which presumably survived the previous strikes.

President Trump also mentioned in his post that he had “tripled” the mine-clearing operations to get rid of previously placed explosives in the waterway.

Fox News dropped this video report after the President’s statement which includes a bit of an olive branch for Iran from WH Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt:

🚨 TRUMP JUST WENT SHOOT-TO-KILL MODE ON IRAN

As if losing $500 million per day wasn’t enough for Iran, Trump is now having the Navy DEMOLISH any and all mine-laying ships from Iran — ON SIGHT.

31 vessels have already been deflected from the blockade

Trump has 100% LEVERAGE!… pic.twitter.com/ZBLbhpoUId

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 23, 2026

That sounds like classic ‘good cop, bad cop’ to me.

While President Trump tightens the screws, his Press Secretary publicly reminds Iran that the President is actually showing quite a bit of flexibility towards them — even now.

In fact, he took to social media himself only a few minutes after his initial post to remind Iran that they could make a deal at any point and bring all this to an end, according to reporting on today’s events from CNBC:

President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he has ordered the U.S. Navy “to shoot and kill any boat” that is laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

The president added that he is ordering U.S. minesweepers to continue clearing the strait “at a tripled up level!”

“We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz,” he wrote in another Truth Social post later Thursday morning.

“No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is ‘Sealed up Tight,’ until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL!!!” he wrote.

Less than 15 minutes later, Trump approvingly reposted a Washington Post opinion piece titled, “Trump doesn’t need a deal to get what he wants from Iran.”

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“Very true!!!” Trump wrote.

To make the point that the US has the Strait completely locked down, US Central Command also issued an update.

According to CentCom, dozens of ships have been blocked as part of the US operations meant to put the squeeze on the Iranian leadership to make a deal:

U.S. forces have directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the U.S. blockade against Iran. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/lG5ACEt7LR

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 23, 2026

Even as President Trump attempts to pressure Iran into a deal…

The US military’s seizure of a tanker carrying Iranian oil only hours before is surely weighing heavily on the Iranian regime.

While ramping up the pressure militarily, President Trump said that a breakthrough in talks with Iran could still happen — as early as this Friday.

That’s even as hunter-killer operations targeting Iranian small boats takes on a far more aggressive stance, as reported by the New York Post:

The directive came just hours after the War Department confirmed the seizure of a sanctioned tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean — the second such interception this week.

The developments mark another strain on a repeatedly extended cease-fire meant to halt weeks of clashes between Washington and Tehran, including strikes on military targets and disruptions to global shipping lanes.

Trump most recently extended the truce Tuesday, saying it would remain in place while Iran works to produce a “unified” proposal ahead of a second round of peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Politico reported Thursday that British military divers are preparing to carry out mine-clearing operations in the strait as part of a potentially multinational effort, with Royal Navy specialists trained in explosive ordnance disposal ready to deploy alongside autonomous mine-hunting systems, according to the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense.

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The UK and other European nations have spent weeks talking about a broader coalition mission to secure the waterway and restore safe navigation.

But so far, those efforts have largely remained in the planning stages.

Trump’s latest order signals a more aggressive posture at sea — one that could either force Tehran back to the table or further destabilize an already fragile cease-fire.

The president told The Post on Wednesday that “it’s possible” fresh developments on renewed talks with Iran could come as soon as Friday. (Emphasis added.)

It seems that every move President Trump makes is designed to increase the pressure.

And force the outcome he has been forthright in defining from the beginning: a DEAL.

It still remains to be seen if the Iranian regime (…or, what’s left of it…) will capitulate, and accept his offer.

Or whether they’ll continue down a path of increased hostilities, all-the-while spurning President Trump’s demands.

We’ll keep you informed of the developments as the situation continues to play out.