ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two US Navy warships transited the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday to “fully clear” it of mines laid by Iran, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said, amid ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad to end the now-suspended war that led Iran to restrict the vital waterway.
CENTCOM said its forces have begun “setting conditions” for clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The command said USS Frank E. Peterson (DDG 121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) “transited” the Strait and “operated” in the Arabian Gulf “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.”
After the US and Israel began the war with Iran on February 28, Tehran tightened control over the chokepoint and effectively limited commercial access. The Strait handles roughly 20 percent of global seaborne oil trade, and its disruption has pushed global oil prices up by 40 to 50 percent.
Meanwhile, a US negotiation team comprising US Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner held face-to-face talks in Pakistan on Saturday with Iran’s delegation led by Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
US President Donald Trump said Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz “will soon be open.” Last week, he said the US could “easily" reopen the vital waterway. In late March, he urged allies affected by disruptions in the waterway to secure the route themselves, saying Washington would no longer “help.”
“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,” CENTCOM cited its Commander Brad Cooper as saying in its statement.
“Additional U.S. forces, including underwater drones, will join the clearance effort in the coming days,” CENTCOM added.
Alan Eyre, a former US diplomat specializing in Iranian affairs, told Rudaw last week that Iran retains a significant arsenal of missiles and especially drones despite US and Israeli strikes, and it possesses enough firepower to keep the strategic Strait of Hormuz under threat for the foreseeable future.
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