U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that Iranian speedboats approaching the blockade zone will be destroyed just as drug smuggling vessels have been, as the U.S. military's counter-blockade of the Strait of Hormuz began.
Approximately 90 minutes after the U.S. counter-blockade commenced, Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday (local time), "If any one of Iran's fast attack boats comes anywhere near our blockade line, they will be immediately destroyed through the same kill system that we have used to eliminate drug traffickers at sea."
"The Iranian Navy has 158 ships that have been completely destroyed and are at the bottom of the ocean," Trump stated. "The only ones we haven't hit are the few they have of so-called 'fast attack boats,' and that's only because we didn't consider them a major threat."
The United States has previously bombed and sunk several vessels suspected of drug trafficking in waters near its shores. Trump added in a postscript that "98.2% of drugs coming into the United States via sea routes have been blocked."
Meanwhile, the U.S. military's counter-blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is now fully underway. U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, warned in a notice to merchant vessel crews that it would "intercept, turn back, or seize all vessels entering or departing the blockade zone without U.S. military authorization." However, the command also stated that vessels entering or departing from ports outside Iran would be allowed to pass through the strait without interference.