Iran has made threats about the Strait of Hormuz at various levels. Iran's security chief Ali Larijani wrote on Tuesday on X, among other things, that the strait could become "a strait of losses and suffering for warmongers."
On Tuesday evening, US reports said Iran has begun mining the strait. Two sources told CNN that a few dozen mines have been laid "in recent days" and that the country has the capacity to lay hundreds of mines in the water.
According to sources who spoke to a CBS News reporter, US intelligence has seen early indications that Iran "may" be placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US has no reports of mines being laid. But if they have been, "they must be removed immediately!" he wrote.
"If for some reason they have laid mines, and these are not removed, the military consequences against Iran will be at a level never seen before," Trump wrote.
The president ended his post on a slightly more conciliatory tone:
"If, on the other hand, Iran removes the mines, that is a huge step in the right direction!"
