by WorldTribune Staff, August 25, 2026 Non-AI Real World News
President Donald Trump announced in a post to Truth Social on Tuesday that the U.S. Navy has cleared all water mines from the Strait of Hormuz, declaring a “zero tolerance” policy monitored continuously by the U.S. Space Force.
Strait of Hormuz / MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Trump said the military is watching “every square inch” of the strategic strait from space, writing:
“I have just been informed by the United States Navy that all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within 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.
“Through Space Force, we are watching every square inch of the Strait, as we are, also, with Pickaxe Mountain and the already destroyed three other Nuclear sites. There is a Zero Tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Trump and administration officials have consistently remarked that exports are flowing out of the critical oil chokepoint.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright claimed Friday that the “7-day average of oil leaving the Strait is over 8 million barrels a day.” Very Large Crude Carriers house around 2 million barrels of oil per vessel, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The southern lane that hugs the coast of Oman has been used by U.S. military ships to escort tankers in and out of the Gulf.
RedState’s Teri Christophe reported that Iran’s financial woes are at panic-inducing levels:
President Trump is turning up the heat on Iran again Tuesday morning, and this time his message isn’t about missiles, nukes, or sanctions. Instead, it’s about a radical regime that, according to the president, has become so dysfunctional that it can’t even manage pay much its own military – while, at the same time, somehow finds the time and resources necessary to imprison and execute Iranians who dare challenge it.
In a Tuesday morning post on Truth Social, Trump called the situation on the ground in Tehran “a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions.” And the president’s warning about what comes next was unmistakable: This “must be stopped, NOW,” he wrote.
With Iran’s leadership heavily degraded by American and Israeli strikes, power has shifted to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei took over in early 2026, but reports indicate he was injured and lacks centralized authority, serving largely as a symbol.A
Power has moved to top IRGC commanders who act like a military board. They make major choices regarding military strategy, regional conflicts, and foreign policy. Ahmad Vahid serves as the acting commander-in-chief of the IRGC and guides core decisions.
According to reports by Al Jazeera, military commanders dictate statecraft while civilian officials have limited control. Hardliners under Vahidi reportedly hold the primary authority.
RedState’s Ward Clark noted: “Iran’s civil government may be reduced to what President Trump calls the ‘third level,’ but in the case of what’s left of Iran’s military, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) still appear to be in charge, and these are the people who may well decide that they would rather go down swinging than make any deal – and any deal that anyone in Iran makes will only be kept until they can rearm.”
