President Donald Trump says the U.S. Navy has cleared mines from international waters in the Strait of Hormuz, opening additional shipping routes through one of the world’s most important energy corridors and dealing a major blow to Iran’s ability to use the waterway as economic leverage.
“Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed… There is a Zero Tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect.” – President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/AVKpv7Mrz0
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 25, 2026
Trump announced the development Tuesday after a months-long American operation in the strait.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He paired the announcement with a warning to Tehran. Trump said Iran had been notified that vessels attempting to place new mines would be “immediately and systematically destroyed,” describing the American position as one of “Zero Tolerance.”
🔴 CENTCOM cleared mines from Strait of Hormuz entry and exit routes, opening another passage and increasing maritime traffic, US official tells i24NEWS
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) August 25, 2026
The president also said the United States was using Space Force capabilities to monitor “every square inch” of the strait, along with Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain facility and three previously destroyed nuclear sites.
The mine-clearing operation represents a significant change in the struggle over Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed before the war.
According to Axios, U.S. Navy underwater drones spent months scanning the waterway and identified more than 100 objects suspected of being mines. Private contractors were subsequently brought in to remove or detonate them.
The Navy has now cleared the Traffic Separation Scheme, the main shipping corridor between Iran and Oman. U.S. officials said mines have also been removed from entry and exit routes, providing another passage and increasing the amount of maritime traffic that can travel through the strait under American protection.
A busy day in the Gulf of Oman, where there are at least fifteen sets of STS transfer sessions taking place. We count 25 million barrels of crude oil; plus some refined products. The oil originates from almost every country in the region, minus Iran.#OOTT #IranWar #Tankers pic.twitter.com/TAba26mJiW
— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) August 25, 2026
American officials are describing the result as a “watershed moment.”
“The Iranians have lost control over the strait. Now the U.S. controls it,” one U.S. official told Axios.
The consequences are already showing up in shipping activity.
More than 500 ships have reportedly traveled through the southern channel during the past month. With additional routes cleared, vessels can move in both directions while the United States attempts to increase the flow of Gulf oil into world markets.
TankerTrackers reported that at least 15 ship-to-ship transfer operations involving approximately 25 million barrels of crude were underway in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday.
That oil reportedly came from nearly every major producing country in the region with one conspicuous exception: Iran.
Iran’s own export operations are facing the opposite situation.
I appreciate H.E. Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa’s coordination on Operation Economic Outcast. Alongside @POTUS, we will continue to work closely to defend the integrity of the global financial system and cripple the threat of the Iranian regime. https://t.co/KuhXuPG0x5
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) August 26, 2026
Almost no tankers have been observed at Kharg Island, Tehran’s principal oil-export hub, during the past two weeks, according to American officials cited by Axios. The United States is enforcing a naval blockade intended to deprive the Iranian government of oil revenue.
That creates the central pressure point in the Trump administration’s current strategy.
Washington wants more non-Iranian Gulf energy traveling safely through Hormuz while simultaneously restricting Iran’s ability to sell its own oil. The campaign comes as Iran faces a sharply weakened currency and domestic economic shortages.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told allied foreign ministers that the United States does not expect to begin another major round of attacks against Iran “for the time being.” That position does not rule out another military response if Iran renews its attacks.
Instead, the administration is currently emphasizing the blockade and economic pressure.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has launched Operation Economic Outcast, a sanctions campaign targeting Iran’s remaining access to international markets.
“The Iranian economy is in free fall and the regime’s military has been decimated,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said, adding that the United States is “cutting off every financial lifeline the regime has remaining.”
Bessent has described the objective in even harsher terms, saying the United States intends to economically “asphyxiate” the Iranian government. The administration has threatened secondary sanctions against foreign governments, financial institutions and businesses that continue helping Tehran access international markets.
Bessent also spoke Tuesday with Bahrain’s Minister of Finance and National Economy, Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. According to the administration, the discussion included Iran’s ability to threaten international commerce through Hormuz.
Following the conversation, Bessent said the United States would work with Bahrain and other partners to “cripple the threat of the Iranian regime.”
