The United States says it has destroyed 16 Iranian vessels near the Strait of Hormuz after reports that Tehran had started placing mines in the key shipping route.
President Donald Trump had earlier said the number was 10 before US Central Command said 16 boats had been hit. The Pentagon also said it was targeting mine storage sites as Washington warned Iran to remove any mines immediately.
About a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas usually moves through the strait but the fighting has already badly disrupted traffic. Many ships are waiting instead of risking the passage.
Trump said the US wanted any mines removed from the water immediately and warned of military consequences if that did not happen.
General Dan Caine who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military was also looking at possible ways to protect shipping but no escort operation has started.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary then later confirmed the US had not yet escorted any tanker or other vessel through the strait.
The US Navy has told shipping industry briefings it cannot provide escorts for now because the danger remains too high. Industry sources said requests for naval protection have been made almost daily but the Navy’s assessment has not changed.
Iran has pushed back on the US account. Ali Mohammad Naini, a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards denied that a US escorted oil ship had passed through the strait and warned that any movement by US and allied forces would be met with missiles and drones.
The latest exchange leaves the region facing a sharper military standoff with oil markets and commercial shipping still on edge.
