After more than 10 days on the receiving end of sustained bombings by the combined military power of the United States and Israel, Iran has remained defiant to demands by the Trump administration to surrender its terror-state ambitions or face even more pain.
Iran continues to bomb its neighbors, targeting Israel and U.S. military bases in the Middle East. On Tuesday, the Islamic Republic launched fresh attacks on Dubai and Bahrain, with reports of Saudi Arabia destroying two drones and Kuwait shooting down another six.
And, of course, Iran has threatened to restrict ships going through the Strait of Hormuz, an important shipping lane through which a reported one-fifth of the world's crude oil passes. Making the strait a strategic chokepoint – or worse – could cause major disruptions in the region.
Reports are emerging Tuesday afternoon that Iran has placed "a few dozen" mines in the strait over the last few days. Though not "extensive" at this point, "Iran still retains upward of 80% to 90% of its small boats and mine layers, one of the sources said, so its forces could feasibly lay hundreds of mines in the waterway."
And then there's this:
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which now effectively controls the strait along with Iran’s traditional navy, has the capability to deploy a “gauntlet” of dispersed mine-laying craft, explosive-laden boats and shore-based missile batteries, CNN has reported.
The IRGC previously warned that any ship passing through the strait would be attacked, and the channel has effectively been closed since the start of the war. The state of the strait has been described to CNN as a “death valley” given the risks involved in transiting.
None of this is sitting well with President Trump, who on Monday said the U.S. "could do a lot" about the strait and threatened Iran to leave the waterway open, saying, "They've shot everything they have to shoot, and they better not try anything cute or it's going to be the end of that country. ... If they do anything bad, that would be the end of Iran and you'd never hear the name again."
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The president followed that up Tuesday with a stark warning to Iran: any of your boats attempting to lay mines in the straits "will be dealt with quickly and violently. BEWARE!"
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 10, 2026
He quickly followed up with another post: "I am pleased to report that within the last few hours, we have hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow! President DONALD J. TRUMP"
CBS News confirms that U.S. intelligence has seen signs that Iran is, indeed, deploying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
NEWS via @CBSNews: U.S. intelligence assets have begun to see indications Iran is taking steps to deploy mines in Strait of Hormuz shipping lane. Iran is using smaller crafts that can carry 2 to 3 mines each. While Iran’s mine stock isn’t publicly known, estimates over the years…
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) March 10, 2026
In a Tuesday morning press conference at the Pentagon alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan "Raizin'" Caine said they were looking at "a range of options" when it came to the Strait of Hormuz, including having the U.S. "escort" ships through the shipping lane. "On the potential, if tasked to escort, we'll look at the range of options to set the military conditions to be able to do that. And then, like we always do with every potential mission, come to the secretary and the president with both," he concluded.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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