President Donald Trump said Tuesday that all naval mines had been removed and/or detonated from the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz. He said he had been informed of the development by the US Navy. Trump warned that any vessel found placing new mines in the waterway would be "immediately and systematically destroyed," describing the US position as a "zero tolerance" policy toward further mining. The announcement represents the latest US assertion that American forces have achieved effective control of the maritime security environment in the strait, a narrow passage connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The removal or destruction of the mines eliminates one of the most difficult and unpredictable hazards to vessels using the waterway.