US President Donald Trump on Saturday claimed that the United States had begun ‘clearing' the Strait of Hormuz, even as Vice President JD Vance was holding high-stakes talks with Iranian negotiators in Islamabad—widely seen as the most consequential US–Iran engagement in nearly five decades.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said the US was clearing the strategic waterway "as a favour to countries all over the world, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and many others," adding, "Incredibly, they don't have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves."
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The post was his sweeping assessment of Iran's military standing. Trump claimed Iran's Navy was 'gone,' its Air Force was 'gone', its anti-aircraft systems were 'nonexistent', its radar was 'dead', and its missile and drone factories had been "largely obliterated along with the Missiles and Drones themselves."
He added that Iran's "longtime 'Leaders' are no longer with us, praise be to Allah", a reference to the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the February 28 strike that triggered the war.
On the question of sea mines, one of the most persistent threats to shipping in the strait, Trump acknowledged the risk but sought to diminish it. "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," he wrote.
Meanwhile, reports also said that Iran may be facing difficulty in locating underwater mines and removing them.
Citing US officials, New York Times reported that Iran's limited mine detection and clearance capacity is a key reason it has not complied with US warnings to reopen the passage.
Iran had deployed land and aquatic mines in the Strait during the conflict. The move was aimed at increasing pressure on the US and Gulf states to halt hostilities on Iranian territory. Ships have avoided the route for more than a month because of fears over mines as well as possible drone or missile attacks.
Moreover, Trump also took aim at the media, accusing outlets of falsely portraying Iran as "winning," saying they "love saying that Iran is 'winning' when, in fact, everyone knows that they are losing, and losing big."
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He closed with a note on tanker traffic, repeating his claim that "empty Oil carrying ships from many Nations are all heading to the United States of America to load up with Oil."
Trump's post made no mention of the ongoing talks in Islamabad. The Strait of Hormuz remains far below its pre-war traffic levels, with independent shipping data showing only a handful of vessels transiting daily against a normal average of over 100.
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