Earlier in the day, Trump said he had ordered the US Navy to "shoot and kill" any boats found laying sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday evening that the United States is under no pressure to end the war with Iran, but "the clock is ticking" for Tehran, as disruption from the conflict batters the world economy.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
"I have all the time in the World, but Iran doesn't - The clock is ticking!" Trump said in a social media post, adding that Iran's military has been destroyed and "their leaders are no longer with us, the Blockade is airtight and strong and, from there, it only gets worse."
Earlier in the day, Trump said he had ordered the US Navy to "shoot and kill" any boats found laying sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
"There is to be no hesitation," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
"Additionally, our mine 'sweepers' are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!"
Earlier this month, the New York Times, citing US officials, reported that Iran is finding it increasingly difficult to reopen the Strait of Hormuz due to its inability to locate all the naval mines it planted during the war.
Trump's announcement comes on the same day the Pentagon said the US military had seized another tanker associated with smuggling Iranian oil.
"We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate," the US Department of Defence said, confirming the Majestic X tanker had been boarded in the Indian Ocean.
The Pentagon released footage of the seizure of the vessel, showing US troops on the deck of the vessel.
Ship-tracking data showed the Majestic X in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia, roughly the same location as the oil tanker Tifani, earlier seized by US forces. It had been bound for Zhoushan in China.
The seizure of the Majestic X is at least the fourth Iranian-flagged tanker that has been diverted by US forces and comes after three other vessels were intercepted in waters off India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
It comes after Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them on Wednesday, intensifying its attacks in the strategic waterway which remains closed.
Those attacks came less than a day after US President Donald Trump extended a fragile truce while maintaining a US blockade of Iranian ports.
The standoff between the US and Iran has effectively choked off nearly all exports through the strait, where 20% of the world’s traded oil passes in peacetime.
Iranian media said the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was bringing the two ships to Iran, marking a further escalation.
Iranian media said the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas were being escorted to Iran. The US had earlier seized two Iranian vessels as the ceasefire talks were due to take place in Pakistan, prompting Tehran to pull out of the second round of high-stakes negotiations.
Attacks on vessels in the waterway escalate
Technomar, the management company behind the Liberian-registered Epaminondas vessel, said it was "approached and fired upon by a manned gunboat" off the coast of Oman. It said the ship's bridge was damaged.
A second cargo ship came under fire hours later, with no report of damage, though it was then stopped in the water. No injuries to the crews of either vessel were reported. Panama condemned what it called an "illegal seizure" of its flagged vessel, adding that the attack represented a "serious attack" on maritime security.
The IRGC attacked a third ship, identified as the Euphoria, which had become “stranded” on the Iranian coast, Iranian media reported, without elaborating.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the seizures did not violate the terms of the truce because the vessels "were not US or Israeli."
There have been more than 30 attacks on ships in the Middle Ease since the US and Israel launched the war on 28 February with a surprise attack on Iran. Before then, the strait was fully open for all maritime traffic.
The conflict has already sent gas prices skyrocketing far beyond the region and raised the cost of food and a wide array of other products.
The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark, nosed over $100 per barrel, marking a roughly 40% increase from pre-war levels, but stock markets still appear to be shrugging it off.
European Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen warned of a lasting impact for consumers and businesses, likening it to other major energy crises over the last half-century. He said the disruption is costing Europe around €500 million euros each day.
Tehran demands end to US blockade for talks to resume
Iran's ability to restrict traffic through the strait, which leads from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has proved a major strategic advantage.
While the ceasefire means US and Israeli airstrikes have stopped in Iran and Tehran's missiles and drones no longer target the region, the maritime standoff continues and could escalate.
Without any diplomatic agreement, the attacks will likely deter ships from even attempting to pass through the waterway, further tightening the chokehold on global energy supplies.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator who met with US Vice President JD Vance in Pakistan earlier this month, said a complete ceasefire "only makes sense" if it is not violated by Washington's blockade of Iranian ports.
"Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible with such flagrant breach of the ceasefire," he wrote on X.
Iranian officials have demanded the full disassembly of the US Navy’s blockade for talks to resume, but Trump insisted on Wednesday that the blockade will remain in place until Iran lifts its restrictions on maritime passage in the vital strait.