US President Donald Trump declared that the “Strait of Hormuz will soon be open” after reports that two US Navy warships on Saturday crossed the key waterway blockaded by Iran since the start of the war on February 28
He wrote on Truth Social, “The United States has completely destroyed Iran’s Military, including their entire Navy and Air Force, and everything else. Their Leadership is DEAD!”
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This came after two US Navy guided-missile destroyers reportedly passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the first such transit through the key global waterway since the start of the war with Iran.
The warships’ passage was not coordinated with authorities in Tehran, US media outlet Axios said.
Earlier, there was a report that at least one US warship made a u-turn after Iran’s warning to strike within 30 minutes. The two ships, however, passed through the strait with no issues reported, The Wall Street Journal reported citing three US officials.
The blockade of the Hormuz Strait has so far been the key geopolitical leverage held by Tehran throughout the war started by US and Israel, forcing a two-week truce last Wednesday.
Warships crossed without telling Iran
The warships crossed after Trump said on Truth Social that “we are now starting the process of clearing out” the narrow sea passage in the Persian Gulf.
Peace talks were, meanwhile, being held in Islamabad with Pakistan’s mediation.
Iran has not yet reacted.
Trump has so far made three Truth Social posts on similar lines.
In the one just before reports of the two warships’ passage, he claimed Iran has been “losing big”. He wrote that “the only thing they (Iran) have going is the threat that a ship may ‘bunk’ into one of their sea mines” in the Strait of Hormuz. He then said “all 28 of their mine dropper boats are also lying at the bottom of the sea”.
‘Clearing’ the strait
“We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz,” he declared, “as a favor to Countries all over the World, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and many others. Incredibly, they don’t have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves.”
Just then, a US warship moved from the Fujairah Port in the UAE towards the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran immediately informed Pakistani mediators that if the American destroyer continued its movement, “it will be targeted within 30 minutes”. Later emerged the reports of two US warships passing through.
Trump also wrote on Truth Social that ships from several countries were headed to the US “to LOAD UP with Oil”, in sync two earlier Truth Social posts he made, in which he asserted that the US has more oil than the next two largest producers combined.
“But, if you listen to the Fake News, we’re losing!” he wrote.
