US destroys mine-laying vessels as Trump warns Iran over Strait of Hormuz

The US military eliminated 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the US Central Command said in a statement, as President Donald Trump warned that any mines laid in the strait by Iran must be removed immediately.

Trump previously said the US had completely destroyed 10 inactive mine-laying vessels.

In apparent response to media reports that Iran had begun laying mines in the waterway, a key passage for oil shipments, Trump posted on social media: "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!"

He said that if Tehran did not do so it would face military consequences.