US military ‘setting conditions’ to clear mines from Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON: The U.S. military said on Saturday that it had started “setting conditions” for clearing ​mines in the Strait of Hormuz, with two U.S. warships ‌passing through the key waterway.

In a post on X, the U.S. Central Command said the USS Frank Peterson and USS Michael Murphy transited the Strait of Hormuz “as part of a ​broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea ​mines previously laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.”

“Today, we ⁠began the process of establishing a new passage and we will ​share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free ​flow of commerce,” Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Central Command, said in a statement.

Earlier on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump 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.”

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.