Iran sparks Donald Trump fury by laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz

He posted on Truth Social: “If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!”

Mr Trump added: “If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!”

Late on Monday, the US Commander-in-Chief said Tehran would face “death, fire and fury” should it attempt to stop oil tankers passing through the vital passage.

Iran, in return, threatened to assassinate him.

Iran is understood to be in possession of between 2,000 and 6,000 mines, using Chinese and Russian models to build up its armoury.

The US military destroyed 10 mine-laying vessels, Mr Trump said.

The “inactive” vessels had been “completely destroyed” in strikes carried out on Tuesday, but Mr Trump said that would not be the end of it.

“I am pleased to report that within the last few hours, we have hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow!”, he said.

G7 leaders will convene on Wednesday as they bid to settle a de-escalation.

Leaders will meet after Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, spoke with Emmanuel Macron about the Iran crisis.

Mr Carney said earlier that the G7’s strategic petroleum reserves should be available in order to stave off surging oil prices, sparked by the Middle Eastern conflict.

“The best option is de-escalation, to have peace”, he said.

He added: “We need to use the G7 oil reserves.”

It follows Iran’s UN envoy saying the conflict has seen 1,300 civilians killed so far.

Amir Saeid Iravani said this evening that almost 10,000 civilian sites, including 8,000 residential homes, had been targeted in US-Israeli strikes.

It follows the Royal Navy warship HMS Dragon finally setting sail to the eastern Mediterranean, a week after its deployment was announced.

The Type 45 destroyer is capable of shooting down drones and ballistic missiles fired by Iran and its proxies as the Middle East crisis continues.

The crew of the vessel were seen lining the deck as the ship moved out of Portsmouth Harbour.

Officials insisted the ship had been prepared as quickly as possible for deployment, with six weeks’ worth of work squeezed into six days.

The announcement of the deployment of the ship came in response to a drone attack which hit the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus.

HMS Dragon, which has a crew of around 200, is capable of firing eight Sea Viper missiles in under 10 seconds to take down aerial targets.

Its commanding officer, Commander Iain Giffin, said: “We are trained for this, we are ready for this, we have the equipment and people, we have the support of the British people and, most importantly, our families and friends.”

Defence Secretary John Healey praised the naval personnel and civilian teams who “worked flat out” to prepare HMS Dragon for deployment, adding: “What is normally six weeks of work was completed in just six days – a remarkable effort delivered around the clock. They are the very best of Britain in action.”

But Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “After two weeks of Keir Starmer’s dithering, HMS Dragon is finally leaving port.

“I wish our brave servicemen and women a safe deployment.”