New Delhi, April 13 -- President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran, saying any of its naval vessels approaching a US blockade at the Strait of Hormuz would face immediate destruction.

"Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump also claimed that Iran's naval forces have suffered extensive losses.

"Iran's Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated - 158 ships," he said.

The US President noted that a small number of Iranian vessels remain, but suggested they were not previously seen as a major threat.

"What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, 'fast attack ships,' because we did not ...