US military begins clearing Strait of Hormuz, Trump says
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that the United States military has started to clear the Strait of Hormuz, and that all of Iran’s minelaying ships have been sunk.
“We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, adding that “all 28” of Iran’s “mine dropper boats are also lying at the bottom of the sea.”
Minutes before Trump’s post, reports started to emerge about the presence of U.S. Navy ships in the strait.
An Axios journalist, citing an unnamed U.S. official, posted that “several” U.S. ships had crossed the strait on Saturday, though Iranian state TV soon after reported a denial from an official with Iran’s military.
Trump has repeatedly said that American forces have destroyed Iran’s navy and air force while crippling its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
But fear of Iranian attacks on shipping over the past several weeks has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical conduit for global oil supplies. Throttling the strait has disrupted global energy markets.
U.S. gasoline prices have spiked even though most of the oil that flows through the waterway does not go to the United States.
Representatives from the U.S. and Iran began talks hosted by Pakistan in Islamabad on Saturday amid a fragile ceasefire in the conflict.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. military has begun clearing the Strait of Hormuz, claiming that all 28 Iranian mine dropper boats have been sunk. Reports indicate that several U.S. Navy ships crossed the strait on Saturday, although Iranian officials denied this. The situation follows heightened tensions and fears of Iranian attacks on shipping in the region, impacting global oil supplies.
- U.S. military has started clearing the Strait of Hormuz.
- All 28 of Iran's mine dropper boats have been sunk according to Trump.
- U.S. Navy ships were reported to be present in the strait.
- Iranian state TV denied the reports of U.S. Navy presence.
- U.S. and Iran began talks in Islamabad amid a fragile ceasefire.