Two US destroyers pass through Strait of Hormuz for a mine-clearing operation
While CENTCOM confirmed a successful transit of the Strait to begin mine-clearing, Tehran claims it forced a US retreat under threat
US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed Saturday that two guided-missile destroyers have entered the Strait of Hormuz to begin "setting conditions" for a massive mine-clearing operation, even as Tehran and Washington clash over conflicting accounts of the transit.
The USS Frank E. Peterson (DDG 121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) successfully transited the strategic chokepoint, the first American warships to do so since the Iran war erupted in February.
Their mission is to begin neutralizing the sea mines laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that have choked global energy supplies for weeks.
Unlike previous transits, these destroyers were not escorting commercial tankers. Instead, they operated independently to 'encourage the free flow of commerce' and demonstrate that the US will no longer tolerate the Iranian blockade.
While CENTCOM reported the transit was completed without incident, the Iranian Foreign Ministry provided a different narrative. Tehran claimed it intercepted a US destroyer traveling from Fujairah, UAE, and issued a "30-minute ultimatum" to strike the vessel unless it turned back. Iranian officials say the ship complied and immediately relayed the incident to their delegation in Pakistan as a formal protest.
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In the ongoing Islamabad negotiations, The Financial Times reports that a stalemate remains over who will control the Strait moving forward.
For the Trump administration, the total and secure reopening of the waterway is a "non-negotiable" demand. For Iran, the Strait remains its most powerful leverage.