US says Navy destroyers working to de-mine Strait of Hormuz

The US military on Saturday begun a mine-clearing operation in the Strait of Hormuz, with two US warships passing through the key waterway. In a post on X, the US Central Command said two US Navy missile destroyers, USS Frank E. Peterson and USS Michael Murphy, “transited the Strait of Hormuz 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.” Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Central Command, said in a statement: “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 said that additional US forces, “including underwater drones, will join the clearance effort in the coming days.” 
Earlier on Saturday, US President Donald Trump posted on social media that the United States military has started to clear the strait, and that all of Iran’s minelaying ships had been sunk. Trump’s comments were dismissed by Iran’s state-affiliated Nournews, which claimed that it was “fake news.” A Pakistani source also denied that any US vessel had passed through the waterway.
Representatives from the US and Iran began talks hosted by Pakistan in Islamabad on Saturday amid a fragile ceasefire in the conflict. The direct talks on Saturday were held between US Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Pakistan’s army chief was also present.