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 social media 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. Two US Navy warships transited the Strait of Hormuz at the start of an operation to clear the strategic waterway of mines laid by Iran, US Central Command (Centcom) said on Saturday. “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,” said Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper. The USS Frank E Peterson and the USS Michael Murphy are the guided-missile destroyers involved in the operation, but Centcom said that “additional US forces including underwater drones” could join the effort in coming days. Earlier, US media outlet Axios reported that the operation was not coordinated with authorities in Tehran. “We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform, calling it “a favour” to countries such as China, Japan and France that “don’t have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves.” US gasoline prices have spiked even though most of the oil that flows through the waterway does not go to the United States.
Trump says US forces are ‘clearing’ Strait of Hormuz
Published on: April 12, 2026 10:47 AM