US Navy Moves to Secure Strait of Hormuz, Begins Process to Clear Sea Mines

The U.S. military announced on Saturday that it has begun preparations to clear sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as two American warships moved through the crucial maritime route.

In a post on X, U.S. Central Command stated that the USS Frank Peterson and USS Michael Murphy passed through the strait as part of a wider operation aimed at ensuring the waterway is free from mines allegedly placed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads Central Command, said efforts are underway to establish a new safe passage, which will soon be shared with the maritime industry to support the smooth flow of global trade.

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.

(With Inputs from Reuters)

Also Read: ‘Losing Big’: Donald Trump Escalates Iran Rhetoric: Says Its Navy, Air Force And Missile Systems Are Destroyed Amid Islamabad Talks