Trump Orders US Navy to Clear Strait of Hormuz as Peace Talks Begin in Pakistan

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday, April 11, 2026, that American forces had begun "the process of clearing the Strait of Hormuz" as a "favor to countries around the world," as several U.S. Navy warships crossed the waterway for the first time since the conflict with Iran began on February 28. Trump posted the announcement on his Truth Social platform, naming China, Japan, South Korea, France, and Germany among the beneficiaries, while criticizing those nations for lacking "the courage or will to do this work themselves." The warship crossing, reported by Axios citing a U.S. official, was not coordinated with Tehran and was described as an operation focused on freedom of navigation through international waters. The ships transited from east to west into the Persian Gulf before returning through the strait toward the Arabian Sea. Iranian state media reportedly characterized the crossing as a violation of the armistice and threatened to attack the vessels.

Mines no one can find block the waterway The practical obstacle to reopening the strait is a demining crisis that has confounded both sides. Iran mined the Strait of Hormuz last month using small boats, placing mines "randomly" without clear records of their locations, according to U.S. officials cited by The New York Times. Some of the mines are floating or moving uncontrollably, making their detection and removal extremely difficult. „Nobody knows where the mines are” — U.S. officials via The New York Times Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged "technical limitations" in a Wednesday statement, which U.S. sources interpreted as a reference to Iran's inability to locate or remove the devices. Trump, for his part, claimed on Truth Social that all 28 Iranian mine-laying ships had been destroyed in previous strikes and now "lie on the bottom of the sea," though the mines they deployed remain a hazard. The IRGC retains de facto control over the strait, dictating on a discretionary basis which vessels may pass.

The U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, designated Operation Epic Fury, began on February 28, 2026. In retaliation, Iran moved to block the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway off Iran's southern coast that is vital to global oil and gas exports from the Persian Gulf. A two-week truce between the U.S. and Iran was agreed upon on the night of April 7 into April 8, 2026, with the reopening of the strait as a key condition. Despite the truce, the waterway has remained largely closed, with Iran citing continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon as a justification for non-compliance.

20,000 sailors stranded as 3,200 ships queue outside strait The human and economic toll of the blockade has grown severe in the weeks since the conflict began. A queue of approximately has formed west of the strait, including around 800 oil tankers and cargo ships, with operators awaiting security guarantees before attempting a crossing. According to the International Maritime Organization, about 20,000 crew members are stranded in the Persian Gulf for the duration of the crisis. Goods are increasingly being rerouted through ports in Oman and on the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates, adding approximately two weeks to voyage durations and raising transportation costs by about 25 percent, according to reporting by Libertatea. Iran has also allegedly demanded a transit fee of one dollar per barrel of oil transported, payable in cryptocurrency, according to information attributed to Israeli intelligence services and reported by Fox News and the Financial Times. Sultan Al Jaber, head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, refuted suggestions that the situation was normalizing, stating that access remains "restricted, conditional and controlled."

Vance meets Iranian delegation in Islamabad as casualties mount Peace negotiations between U.S. and Iranian delegations are underway in Islamabad, Pakistan, with Pakistani officials serving as mediators. U.S. Vice President JD Vance is representing Washington at the talks, where he is meeting with the Iranian delegation. The conflict has so far killed nearly 3,000 Iranians, according to Iranian health authorities, while at least 13 American servicemen have been killed and dozens more wounded since February 28. Trump conditioned the armistice on what he described as the "COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING" of the strait, a threshold that has not yet been met. Separately, Trump posted on Truth Social that a large number of empty tankers — "some of the largest in the world" — are heading to the United States to load American oil and gas, framing the global energy disruption as an opportunity for U.S. energy exports. Trump also asserted that the United States possesses more oil than the next two largest oil economies combined. The gap between the signed truce terms and conditions on the ground continues to define the central tension in the Islamabad talks.

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