US intelligence assets have seen early indicators that Iran may deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, CBS reported on Tuesday.
Iran’s naval mine stock isn’t known, though according to CBS, estimates have ranged from 2,000 to 6,000 units.
Following the report, US President Donald Trump wrote on a now-deleted post on Truth that if mines had been placed - though he noted the US had no reports of such an occurrence - and were not removed, "the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before."
"If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!" he wrote.
He later announced that the US had hit and "completely destroyed" 10 inactive mine-laying vessels, warning that more would follow.
The post was taken down minutes after it was published.
Washington strikes Iranian mine-laying vessels in Hormuz
US General Dan Caine said on Tuesday that Washington was carrying out strikes against Iranian mine-laying vessels and the Pentagon would look at a range of options if it was tasked with escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The war has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global oil and liquefied natural gas transport, leaving tankers unable to sail for more than a week and forcing producers to halt pumping as storage fills.
Additionally, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said on Tuesday the US Navy had successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz "to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets."
A supertanker with two million barrels of Iranian oil onboard sailed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past day, adding to at least five other vessels shipping oil to Asia since February 28, data from ship trackers showed on Tuesday.
Analysis from Lloyd’s List Intelligence and Kpler showed the Guyana-flagged Cuma, which is on a US sanctions list, sailed through the strait on March 9 with a destination listed as China.
Iran has also sent gas and oil product cargoes through the critical waterway in recent days since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28. At least 11 million barrels of crude, apart from the latest shipment, have left Iran since then, according to estimates.
Reuters contributed to this report.