Trump says Iranian ‘fast-attack’ ships that come close to US blockade will be eliminated
Donald Trump has warned that any Iranian “fast-attack” vessels approaching the U.S. naval blockade around Iran will be destroyed, escalating tensions as the maritime standoff intensifies.
The U.S. president issued the warning Monday, shortly after the blockade targeting ships traveling to and from Iran was scheduled to take effect at 14:00 GMT. Posting on Truth Social, Trump said that although many Iranian naval assets had already been severely damaged during the recent six-week conflict between the United States and Iran, smaller vessels remained.
Trump claimed Iran’s navy had been “completely obliterated” during the fighting but noted that some of the smaller craft, often referred to as “fast-attack ships”, had not been targeted previously because they were not viewed as a major threat at the time.
He warned, however, that the situation had now changed. According to Trump, if any of these vessels approach the U.S. blockade, American forces will immediately destroy them. He said the response would follow the same rapid and forceful tactics used by the U.S. military in maritime operations against suspected drug-smuggling boats.
The president was referring to a U.S. campaign conducted in the Caribbean and Pacific regions since last September that targeted suspected drug-trafficking vessels and reportedly resulted in more than 100 deaths during interdiction operations.
The tensions come as Iran has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global shipping route through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies normally pass. Tehran’s move was described as retaliation for joint U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iranian targets.
Although much of Iran’s conventional navy has reportedly been destroyed, analysts say the country still retains several asymmetric capabilities. According to retired Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could still deploy fast-attack boats, mini-submarines, naval mines, and even small explosive-laden craft such as jet skis to challenge larger naval forces in the region.