Donald Trump ordered the destruction of Iranian boats laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, April 23, 2026, the latest episode in the ongoing maritime standoff between the two adversaries. Despite a unilateral American extension of the ceasefire that came into effect on April 8, the tone and actions remain aggressive, with no signs, at this stage, of a diplomatic deadlock.
The American president thus ordered the navy to “shoot down” all boats, “no matter how small they may be”, “laying mines” in the Strait of Hormuz, subjected to the dual Iranian and American blockade. “There should be no hesitation,” he wrote on his Truth Social network.
American and Iranian seizures
Prior to this, the U.S. military announced having boarded and inspected a sanctioned ship carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean overnight, the second operation of this kind carried out in this area this week. “We will continue to conduct global maritime control operations to disrupt illicit networks and intercept ships providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,” said the Pentagon.
Iran is also active, having seized two ships on Wednesday in the strait and insisting that it will remain closed until the U.S. lifts the port blockade imposed since April 13. A senior Iranian official also announced that Iran had received its first revenues from unilaterally imposed passage rights in the strait.
The number of crossings has decreased since Sunday, while incidents involving boats have multiplied. However, analysts believe that while the U.S. blockade is expected to slow Iran’s oil production, it is premature to predict its economic collapse. “The country has also proven its ability to withstand significant drops in oil revenue during previous rounds of sanctions,” noted Jamie Ingram of the Middle East Economic Survey.
Furthermore, even if the adversaries reach an agreement, demining the Strait of Hormuz could take six months, weighing on global hydrocarbon prices, according to a classified presentation by the Pentagon to the U.S. Congress, as reported by the Washington Post.
Hypothetical European security plan
On their part, the Europeans, though marginalized, continue their efforts at a meeting in London on Thursday to establish a security plan for the strait once peace is achieved in the Middle East. This hypothesis still seems distant. Negotiations between Americans and Iranians, which were supposed to resume in Islamabad at the beginning of the week after an initial session on April 11, are still pending.
On Thursday, Israel expressed readiness to resume war against Iran. Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that they are prepared, both defensively and offensively, with designated targets in Iran. “We await the green light from the U.S. foremost to finish off the Khamenei dynasty,” he added, “but also to bring Iran back to the dark ages and the stone age.”
Lebanon and Israel discuss in Washington
In Lebanon, five people, including a journalist, were killed Wednesday and three on Thursday in Israeli strikes in the southern part of the country, despite the truce between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah in effect since April 17, set to expire Sunday.
Lebanon and Israel are supposed to resume discussions, this Thursday in Washington, a move denounced by Hezbollah, who also announced carrying out three operations against Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.
In Washington, Beirut will request a one-month extension of the ceasefire and for Israel to stop its “destruction operations” in the south of the country, according to a Lebanese official source.
Following the start of the war in Lebanon on March 2, Israel took control of a strip of territory about ten kilometers deep along the border. According to the latest official toll, at least 2,454 people have been killed in Lebanon in six weeks of war.
