US says it destroyed 16 mine-laying vessels as Iran threatens to block Gulf oil exports
Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. said it took out more than a dozen mine-laying Iranian vessels Tuesday, and the Islamic Republic vowed to block the region's oil exports, saying it would not allow “even a single liter” to be shipped to its enemies.
As concerns grew about the war's effect on a strategic waterway, the American military said it destroyed 16 minelayers, though President Donald Trump said in social media posts that there were no reports of Iran planting explosives in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil is shipped.
The American military released the figure, along with unclassified footage of some of the vessels, after Trump threatened to hit Iran at “a level never seen before” if the country failed to immediately remove any mines it might have deployed in the channel.
Both sides sharpened their rhetoric as the war entered its 11th day. U.S.
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