Trump says it’s safe to sail
Donald Trump on Monday insisted that tanker captains in the Persian Gulf man-up and sail right through the Strait of Hormuz.
From CNN this morning:
• Attacks near strait: Three vessels were reported to have been hit by unknown projectiles near the Strait of Hormuz today, the UK’s maritime agency said. Earlier, the US military said it destroyed Iranian mine-deploying ships near the strait. Sources told CNN Tehran had begun laying mines in the key waterway.
The God Emperor of Ruin was not amused. Trump posted to Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon, “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!”
Or he’ll huff, and he’ll puff, and Iran will face consequences “at a level never before seen.”
CNN added, “US Central Command said in a social media post later Tuesday that the military destroyed multiple Iranian naval ships — including 16 minelayers — near the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iranians have claimed responsibility for one of the attacks on cargo vessels mentioned above:
Alireza Tangsiri, the naval commander in Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps, named one of the ships that was struck, the Mayuree Naree, in a post on social media, saying they had “ignored the warnings” from Iran, and “ended up getting caught.”
He added: “Any vessel that intends to pass must obtain permission from #Iran.”
But Trump already gave them permission. Tangsiri apparently did not get Truth Social the memo.