US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the US military has begun the process of “cleaning up” the strategic Strait of Hormuz. According to the head of the White House, it is the removal of sea mines, which are the last obstacle to safe navigation after the elimination of the Iranian navy and air force.
The US military has begun to “clean up” the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. Apparently, he meant the removal of sea mines that Iran had deployed there in the past weeks. According to Chief Biele, they remain the only threat after the Iranian navy, air force and air defense systems were eliminated, missile and drone factories were largely destroyed, as well as the stocks of these weapons themselves, and Iran’s long-time leaders were killed.
- The US military has begun removing Iranian sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Trump announced the sinking of all 28 Iranian minesweepers.
- Trump considers cleaning up the Strait of Hormuz a service to the world’s oil importers.
- An Iranian military official denied that US ships had passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump: The risk of ship collisions with mines remains a threat
“The only remaining threat is the risk of ships colliding with sea mines,” Trump said, adding that all 28 of Iran’s mine-laying vessels had been sunk.
“We are now beginning the process of cleaning up the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump continued. He described this step as a service to countries around the world such as China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany and many others, which, according to him, do not have the courage or will to do this work alone.
Trump concluded the post by noting that it is “very interesting” that empty tankers from many countries are currently heading to the US to load oil.
The US says its ships have passed through the strait
Before publishing Trump’s post, the American news website Axios, citing a representative of the US administration, reported that several US Navy ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz from east to west for the first time since the beginning of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which then returned to the Arabian Sea. The move was not coordinated with Iran and came on a day when US-Iran peace talks are being held in Pakistan.
However, Iran’s state-run IRIB TV quoted an unnamed senior military official as denying that any US ships had crossed the Strait of Hormuz.
