Iran has threatened to attack US Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz, just after American warships passed through the strategic waterway for the first time since the war began.
Two American destroyers went through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday for the first time in six weeks without incident, according to The Wall Street Journal.
But Tehran has since warned Pakistani mediators that if the vessel continues to move, ‘it will be targeted within 30 minutes, and the Iranian-American negotiations will suffer,’ foreign ministry spokesperson Khabar Network told Fars News Agency.
The threat of near-immediate retaliation came just after reports revealed that multiple US ships crossed the strait in a bold move that ‘was not coordinated with Iran.’
USS Frank E. Peterson (DDG 121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) transited the Strait of Hormuz as part of a US Navy operation – not escorting commercial ships – in what was described as a freedom-of-navigation mission.
Forces under US Central Command (CENTCOM) also announced that they had begun setting conditions to clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz previously laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
‘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,’ CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said in a statement on X.
Cooper also revealed that additional US forces, including underwater drones, will join the clearance effort in the coming days.
Two US destroyers have entered the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday as part of a freedom-of-navigation mission
The destroyers (stock image) were not escorting commercial ships. Their appearance in the Strait comes as peace talks begin in Pakistan between the US and Iran
President Donald Trump has ordered that the Strait of Hormuz be open as part of the ceasefire deal.
The Iran war has led to Iranians effectively shutting the Strait of Hormuz through which 20 percent of the world’s oil supplies are shipped. That has pushed up energy prices and given Iran a key point of leverage in negotiations with the US.
The transit comes as the US and Iran began face-to-face negotiations on Saturday in Pakistan, days after a fragile, two-week ceasefire was announced.
The White House confirmed the direct nature of the talks.
Iran’s state-run news agency said three-party talks had begun after Iranian preconditions, including a reduction in Israeli strikes on Southern Lebanon were met, and after US and Iranian officials met separately with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
When asked if he feels the Iranians are acting in good faith during these high-stakes negotiations, Trump offered a cryptic but confident timeline for when the world will find out on Saturday.
‘I’ll let you know that in a very short period of time, won’t take long,’ he said.
The US delegation is being led by Vice President JD Vance, along with Steve Witkoff, the special envoy, and Jared Kushner, who is Trump’s son-in-law.
President Donald Trump, pictured with his son Eric, has claimed the US has destroyed Iran’s military. He is demanding the Strait be reopened as part of the peace deal
The Iranian delegation is being led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.
The two are discussing how to advance the ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel’s continued attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, a terrorist group, in Lebanon.
The President claimed that US and allied forces have effectively wiped out Iran’s Navy, Air Force, and leadership.
He also took a swipe at global allies, claiming they lack the ‘courage or will’ to clear the strategic Strait of Hormuz – a task he says the US is now doing as a ‘favor’ to the world.
‘Most importantly, their longtime ‘Leaders’ are no longer with us, praise be to Allah!
‘The only thing they have going is the threat that a ship may “bunk” into one of their sea mines, which by the way, all 28 of their mine dropper boats are also lying at the bottom of the sea,’ Trump wrote.
In a separate post, he wrote: ‘The United States has completely destroyed Iran’s Military, including their entire Navy and Air Force, and everything else.
‘Their Leadership is DEAD! The Strait of Hormuz will soon be open, and the empty ships are rushing to the United States to “load up.”‘
Vice President JD Vance, with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is leading the US delegation in the peace talks
The Iranian delegation is being led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf
Iran wants an end to attacks, compensation for earlier ones, and a guarantee that no more will occur.
It also wants US military forces to leave the region, and Tehran wants longtime sanctions lifted.
French President Emmanuel Macron is urging ‘respect for the ceasefire and its application to Lebanon.’
In a social media post, Macron said he talked to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday and that in addition to discussing the ceasefire, they urged a return to free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The French leader didn’t mention the negotiations in Pakistan, but said he and Erdogan ‘underlined the need for a robust and lasting diplomatic solution.’
Macron has been speaking regularly with other world leaders about the war and helping lead efforts for a mission to secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once the fighting calms.
He has been particularly active in pushing for peace in Lebanon, a former French protectorate with close ties to France.
The Israeli military said its air force hit infrastructure of the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon and was continuing to support its ground forces operating in Southern Lebanon.
It comes as Tehran is pressing for a halt to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in three-party talks.
Earlier Saturday, the Lebanese state-run news agency reported at least three people killed in Israeli strikes in Southern Lebanon. There were no reported strikes in the afternoon hours.
In Israeli communities along the border with Lebanon sirens continued to warn of drone and rocket attacks from Lebanon throughout the day Saturday. There were no reports of injuries.
Israel has continued striking Lebanon after a ceasefire between the US and Iran was announced, even though mediator Pakistan has said that the tiny Mediterranean nation is part of the two-week pause.