--- title: Trump Orders U.S. Navy to 'Shoot and Kill' Boats Laying Mines in Strait of Hormuz description: The directive landed a day after Iranian soldiers seized two vessels in the crucial waterway. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/04/23/trump-orders-us-navy-shoot-kill-boats-strait-hormuz-iran-war/ author: Callum Sutherland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-04-23T13:54:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-23T21:54:57.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Orders U.S. Navy to 'Shoot and Kill' Any Boat Laying Mines in Strait of Hormuz og:description: The directive landed a day after Iranian soldiers seized two vessels in the crucial waterway. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/04/23/trump-orders-us-navy-shoot-kill-boats-strait-hormuz-iran-war/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfd85cc0cacda6051/69ea38f83cce02ee63e3b30d/Screenshot_2026-04-23_at_16.21.13.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Screenshot 2026-04-23 at 16.21.13.png og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Orders U.S. Navy to 'Shoot and Kill' Any Boat Laying Mines in Strait of Hormuz twitter:description: The directive landed a day after Iranian soldiers seized two vessels in the crucial waterway. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfd85cc0cacda6051/69ea38f83cce02ee63e3b30d/Screenshot_2026-04-23_at_16.21.13.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Orders U.S. Navy to 'Shoot and Kill' Any Boat Laying Mines in Strait of Hormuz by [Callum Sutherland](/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Reporter Updated: Apr 23, 2026 9:54 PM CUTPublished: Apr 23, 2026 1:54 PM CUT  U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the conflict in Iran in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the conflict in Iran in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C.Brendan Smialowski—Getty Images by [Callum Sutherland](/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Reporter Updated: Apr 23, 2026 9:54 PM CUTPublished: Apr 23, 2026 1:54 PM CUT President [Donald Trump](https://time.com/7382697/trump-iran-war/ "undefined") has ordered the U.S. Navy “to shoot and kill” any Iranian boat laying mines in the [Strait of Hormuz,](https://time.com/article/2026/03/17/what-is-the-strait-of-hormuz-global-trade-oil-flow-iran-war/ "undefined") a crucial passage through which around a fifth of global oil production flows. “There is to be no hesitation,” he [said](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116454087460626531 "undefined") Thursday, adding that U.S. mine sweepers are continuing to clear the waterway—a process that could [reportedly](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/04/22/iran-hormuz-mines/ "undefined") take up to six months. Dismissing Iran’s long-standing chokehold over the key trade passage, Trump insisted that the U.S. has "total control" over the waterway. "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 said. The directive follows Trump's extension of the fragile U.S.-Iran cease-fire earlier this week, which was tested Wednesday when Iranian soldiers targeted three vessels in the Strait before seizing two of them. Iranian state media [named](https://t.me/farsna/430717 "undefined") the two vessels seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy as the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and Liberia-flagged Epaminondas. A third ship, [Euphoria](https://t.me/Nournews%5Fir/350680 "undefined"), reportedly escaped capture. Technomar Shipping Inc, the Greek operator of Epaminondas, confirmed to TIME that the vessel had been seized by Iranian authorities and they were working with regional partners to resolve the situation. Iranian state TV later [aired footage](https://t.me/farsna/430836 "undefined") it said depicted the armed, masked members of the IRGC boarding the seized vessels. The Iranian government has maintained that it controls the Strait of Hormuz, moving to impose tolls on vessels that seek safe passage—a move Trump vowed to stop with the U.S. naval blockade of Iran's ports in the Strait. U.S. Central Command [reported](https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2047113315608866866 "undefined") it has directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port since the start of the blockade on April 13. Overnight, U.S. forces boarded a sanctioned ship in the Indian Ocean that was transporting oil from Iran, the military said Thursday morning. “We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate," read the [statement](https://x.com/DeptofWar/status/2047272909920444776 "undefined"). “International waters cannot be used as a shield by sanctioned actors. The Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their vessels freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain.” Amid the ongoing naval operations, Navy Secretary John Phelan was removed from his position this week. The Penatgon's chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement issued Wednesday that Phelan would be departing the Trump Administration, "effective immediately." He [announced](https://x.com/SeanParnellASW/status/2047064432564482188 "undefined") Undersecretary Hung Cao as the new acting lead. Trump said Phelan did "an outstanding job" over the past year, referring to him as "smart, tough, and respected by all." "I very much appreciate the job that he has done, and would certainly like to have him back within the Trump Administration sometime in the future," Trump [said](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116455187676369886 "undefined") Thursday. ### U.S.-Iran peace talks stall with Tehran yet to commit to second meeting The shifts among U.S. military leadership and the struggle within international waters is taking place against the backdrop of stalled peace talks between the U.S. and Iran. Vice President J.D. Vance, who is set to once again lead the U.S. delegation, was expected to travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, this week for a second round of negotiations. But he remains grounded as Tehran has yet to confirm if they will return to the table, despite mediator Pakistan urging both sides to attend. Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, told [state television](https://t.me/irna%5F1313/400966 "undefined") this week that the uncertainty was not due to indecision on Iran’s part, but was instead down to "contradictory messages" from Washington. “The reason for this is not indecision; it is the contradictory messages, contradictory behaviors, and unacceptable actions of the American side,” he argued. ### Israel and Lebanon set to extend cease-fire by three weeks, Trump says On Thursday evening, Trump [announced](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116456113408853958 "undefined") that, following the second round of "working-level peace talks" between Israeli and Lebanese officials at the State Department in D.C., both parties had agreed to extend the cease-fire for three weeks. The Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and his Lebanese counterpart, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, were joined by Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the high-stakes meeting which "went very well," according to the President. The U.S. ambassadors to Israel and Lebanon, Mike Huckabee and Michel Issa, were also in attendance. "The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah," Trump said as he celebrated the cease-fire extension. "I look forward in the near future to hosting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun. It was a great honor to be a participant at this very historic meeting." The announcement came as strikes exchanged between Israeli forces and the Hezbollah militant group have threatened to not only derail the fragile Israel-Lebanon truce, but also the equally delicate U.S.-Iran cease-fire. “If strikes continue on Lebanon, then Iran might get involved \[against Israel\], and then the cease-fire is over. That's one of the last cards \[Hezbollah\] have to play," an [expert told TIME earlier this month](https://time.com/article/2026/04/10/israels-hezbollah-lebanon-war-explained/ "undefined"). The conflict between Israel and Lebanon dates back decades. The two countries have technically remained in a state of war since 1948, when Lebanon joined neighboring Arab states in opposing the creation of Israel. **Read More**: [_Israel's War Against Lebanon, Explained_](https://time.com/article/2026/04/10/israels-hezbollah-lebanon-war-explained/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/04/23/trump-orders-us-navy-shoot-kill-boats-strait-hormuz-iran-war/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/04/23/trump-orders-us-navy-shoot-kill-boats-strait-hormuz-iran-war/"},"headline":"Trump Orders U.S. Navy to 'Shoot and Kill' Any Boat Laying Mines in Strait of Hormuz","datePublished":"2026-04-23T13:54:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-23T21:54:57.000Z","description":"The directive landed a day after Iranian soldiers seized two vessels in the crucial waterway.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/04/23/trump-orders-us-navy-shoot-kill-boats-strait-hormuz-iran-war/","keywords":["Iran","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfd85cc0cacda6051/69ea38f83cce02ee63e3b30d/Screenshot_2026-04-23_at_16.21.13.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Callum Sutherland","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfd85cc0cacda6051/69ea38f83cce02ee63e3b30d/Screenshot_2026-04-23_at_16.21.13.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Screenshot 2026-04-23 at 16.21.13.png","caption":"","creditText":"Brendan Smialowski—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/iran/","name":"Iran"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/04/23/trump-orders-us-navy-shoot-kill-boats-strait-hormuz-iran-war/","name":"Trump Orders U.S. Navy to 'Shoot and Kill' Any Boat Laying Mines in Strait of Hormuz"}}]}] ```