U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that all mines have been successfully removed or detonated in 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,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
He emphasized a “zero tolerance policy” on mine placement, asserting that Washington is using Space Force technology to monitor “every square inch” of the strategic waterway, as well as Pickaxe Mountain and "the already destroyed three other nuclear sites."
Tehran on Aug. 25 remained defiant and vowed to retaliate after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent laid out plans for the “economic asphyxiation” of Iran, expanding Washington’s secondary sanctions threats and warning of dire consequences for countries that do not join the campaign.
The announcement came almost six months into a war on Iran that has ground to a stalemate, with stalled peace talks and Tehran blocking most traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
Bessent earlier said the United States was declaring an “economic D-Day” on Iran, but his announcement named no specific countries beyond Iran and gave no timelines.
“Around the globe, our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone,” Bessent told journalists.
“We are going to hold everyone accountable, and this is economic asphyxiation of this regime,” he said, adding that countries not joining U.S. sanctions would “share” in Iran’s isolation.
President Donald Trump was making phone calls to world leaders with requests to stop interactions with Tehran, Bessent said.
The Treasury Department said expanded secondary sanctions would target Iran’s digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping sectors.
It also issued new sanctions against 60 individuals, companies and vessels that allegedly aid Iran in oil revenue generation, weapons procurement and cyber operations.
The sanctions hit entities around the world, including in the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and in Europe.
Bessent vowed that any entity “that facilitates money laundering on behalf of Iran will be removed from the U.S. dollar system.”
Asked on Aug. 24 if Chinese banks would be targeted by the new sanctions, Bessent said “no one is above the reach of U.S. sanctions.”
Iran was dismissive of the threat and predicted “another defeat” for Washington.
“We’ve been waiting for these plans for a long time, and the government is and was ready and has a two-year plan to manage these events,” said Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh.
