US and Iran Clash at Sea as Trump Orders 'Shoot to Kill'
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- The U.S. military and Iran both seized tankers in international waters this week, and Iran's IRGC fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, seizing two of them on Wednesday
- Trump ordered the Navy to "shoot and kill any boat" placing mines in the strait, writing on Truth Social: "There is to be no hesitation," and separately said Americans should expect to pay more for gasoline "for a little while"
- The Strait of Hormuz is under a so-called "double-blockade," with Iran threatening ships from unfriendly nations while the U.S. has directed 31 vessels to "turn around or return to port" and seized at least three tankers carrying Iranian oil, including one in the Indian Ocean overnight Wednesday
- International Energy Agency head Fatih Birol told CNBC the world is "facing the biggest energy security threat in history" as the strait's disruption strains global energy resources
- The conflict is entering its ninth week, surpassing Trump's original four-to-six-week timeline; on Tuesday he extended the ceasefire indefinitely to give Tehran time to submit a peace proposal
- Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wrote on X that he expects the U.S. blockade "will be growing and that it could become global soon," while CSIS senior adviser Mark Cancian warned the IRGC could start shooting at stationary ships in the Persian Gulf
Why it matters: Trump acknowledged Americans will pay more at the pump as U.S. forces have directed 31 vessels to turn back in a "double-blockade" of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries one-fifth of global crude. The IEA called it the "biggest energy security threat in history," and the conflict has stretched to nine weeks — past Trump's own four-to-six-week deadline.
