The written message from President Trump, who is also the US commander-in-chief, contains an order for the US Navy to board ships traveling through the strait - which may have paid a fee to Iran for the journey.
He also demands that Iran “immediately and quickly open international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz,” which Iran currently controls.
Iran controls
Most shipping traffic has been stopped in the internationally important waterway by Iran, but some ships have been allowed to pass after probable agreements with Tehran.
Trump's threat against Iran also includes an order for the US Navy to stop all shipping to and from the strait and to initiate efforts to clear mines there.
Already on Saturday, two American guided missile destroyers sailed through the Strait of Hormuz as part of a mine clearance operation, according to the US military.
Blasted to hell
Trump's statement on Sunday afternoon local time, which was Sunday morning in the US, comes after peace talks in Islamabad between high-ranking representatives from Iran and the United States, under Pakistani mediation, collapsed overnight. The president writes in his post that he has received a full account of the failed meeting from the American leader of the delegation, Vice President J D Vance.
Trump ended his post on Truth Social with a blatant warning to Tehran:
“Any Iranian who fires on us, or any peaceful ship, will be blown to hell,” with the last three words written in capital letters.
