Shafaq News- Washington

US President Donald Trump on Saturday disclosed the start of mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz, as US naval vessels crossed the critical waterway for the first time since the outbreak of the joint US-Israeli war on Iran.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the operation as beneficial to major global economies, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, and Germany, noting the Strait’s role as a vital artery for global energy supplies.

Casting Iran’s military capabilities as significantly weakened, he pointed to the collapse of its naval power, the loss of air defense systems, and extensive damage to missile and drone production facilities.

Axios previously reported that US Navy ships had transited the Strait of Hormuz, pointing that the passage was not coordinated with Tehran. Iran rejected the report, calling it “inaccurate,” further denying US allegations that it had laid mines in the strategic waterway.

Earlier today, direct negotiations between Iran and the United States in Islamabad began. According to international reports, Tehran is pushing for a broader deal that includes a ceasefire in Lebanon, easing of sanctions, unfreezing of assets, recognition of its interests in the Strait of Hormuz, and permission to continue uranium enrichment, while rejecting limits on its missile program. Washington, meanwhile, maintains that any sanctions relief must be tied to Iranian concessions on its nuclear and missile activities, while also ruling out proposals that would grant Tehran special arrangements in the strategic maritime gateway.