Trump says mines cleared from Strait of Hormuz as oil market volatility continues

President Donald Trump said the United States Navy has removed or detonated all mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that Iran has largely closed since the start of the war in the Middle East. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he also warned that Iran had been notified any ship or boat placing new mines would be "immediately and systematically destroyed." The statement adds to the pressure around one of the world's most sensitive energy chokepoints. The strait is a major route for global energy supplies, and the closure has already caused sharp swings in oil prices on world markets.

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Before the war, about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas transited the waterway. The conflict began on 28 February after US and Israeli air strikes against Iran, and since then Iran has retaliated against Israel, US bases in the region and US Arab allies in the Gulf. The latest comments come as the ceasefire intended to open talks on ending the war has collapsed and there has been intermittent exchange of fire between the United States and Iran.

The US this week announced a new package of economic sanctions against Iran, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that any nation financially partnering with Tehran would be isolated. Iran's economy has also been hit by the war and by a blockade of Iranian ports that the US has maintained for weeks to prevent trade from continuing. The dispute over the Strait of Hormuz has become part of a wider confrontation over security, sanctions and Iran's nuclear programme.

In June, Iran and the United States signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding setting a 60-day deadline for a deal on the strait before broader negotiations on the nuclear issue. That deadline has now expired, and the talks have collapsed, according to the supplied material. Tehran has consistently denied allegations that it is building a nuclear weapon.

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The latest warning also follows a period in which Iran has said it fired on vessels it believed were trying to cross without its permission. Trump has repeatedly said the United States controls the area, and his latest post reinforces that claim with a direct threat of military action against any renewed mine-laying. China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, has already said it opposes what it called the United States' illegal unilateral sanctions and will take all necessary measures.

What remains unclear is whether the mine-clearing claim can be independently verified and how much of the strait is actually open to shipping. It is also unclear how Iran will respond if it attempts to reassert control over the waterway or if further sanctions deepen the economic pressure. For now, the focus is on whether the latest US warning deters any new mine-laying and whether shipping and energy markets stabilise after weeks of disruption.

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social at 25 August 2026 at 15:30 BST: "I have just been informed by the United States Navy that all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within the International Waters of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed." "Through Space Force, we are watching every square inch of the Strait, as we are, also, with Pickaxe Mountain and the already destroyed three other Nuclear sites.

There is a Zero Tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect." "Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

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Explanation:

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social at 25 August 2026 at 15:30 BST: the Strait of Hormuz has been cleared of mines, Iran has been warned that any new mine placement will be immediately and systematically destroyed, and the U.S. is using Space Force surveillance to watch the area, alongside references to Pickaxe Mountain and three already destroyed nuclear sites. The signal is a direct escalation in maritime and military posture, combining a claim of operational control over a critical chokepoint with an explicit threat of rapid retaliation against Iranian mining activity.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important oil shipping lanes, so any credible mine threat immediately raises insurance, freight, and energy price risk.

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