LEXINGTON, Ky. — President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the U.S. Navy to shoot and kill anyone placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions in one of the world's most critical shipping routes, according to LEX 18 News.

"I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!" Trump posted, referring to minesweeping operations in the strategic waterway. The directive came the same day the U.S. military seized an Iran-linked oil tanker in the Indian Ocean allegedly en route to China.

The Department of Defense confirmed that U.S. forces conducted a maritime interdiction of the stateless vessel M/T Majestic X, which was transporting oil from Iran. "We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate," military officials said in a statement.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between Iran and Oman, serves as a critical chokepoint for global oil supplies, with millions of barrels transiting through it daily. Increased military activity in the waterway has raised concerns about disruptions to international commerce.

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard escalated its own operations Wednesday, firing on three ships in the strait and seizing two of them. The Iranian government has not acknowledged internal leadership fractures despite Trump's claims of infighting between hardliners and moderates within Tehran's hierarchy.

Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf rejected U.S. pressure, stating that Iran "did not achieve their goals through military aggression, nor will they through bullying." Iran has maintained that negotiations with the U.S. are impossible as long as American blockades remain on Iranian ports.

Despite the rising hostilities, Trump extended a two-week ceasefire with Iran, though the conditions for a broader resolution remain elusive. The administration has signaled it is awaiting a unified proposal from Iran's government.