Trump: More Mine Sweepers to be Deployed to the Strait of Hormuz

On April 12, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington that U.S. President Trump stated during an interview with Fox News Channel that the United States will deploy more minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz, and NATO will provide assistance to the U.S., while some Gulf countries have already begun to offer help.

Trump claimed that clearing the Strait of Hormuz "won't take too long." He also mentioned that two U.S. vessels successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz on the 11th, and "no one did anything to them."

On the same day, Trump threatened via social media that, given Iran's refusal to compromise on the critical issue of its nuclear program, the U.S. Navy would immediately begin to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. However, he admitted during the interview that the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz "will take a little time."

Trump also stated that the atmosphere was "quite friendly" as U.S.-Iran negotiations approached their conclusion.

According to a statement released by the U.S. Central Command on the 11th, two U.S. Navy missile destroyers passed through the Strait of Hormuz that day, beginning to create conditions for mine clearance in the Strait. Iran, on the other hand, continuously issued statements denying that U.S. ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated on the 11th that a U.S. destroyer attempted to enter the Strait of Hormuz but was forced to retreat after being intercepted by Revolutionary Guard vessels.