US ships pass through Strait of Hormuz for first time since war began, Trump said

US President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Saturday that the United States had begun to clear the Strait of Hormuz and had sunk Iran's minelaying ships as talks between the US and Iran mediated by Pakistan got underway.

"We're now starting the ​process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz," ​Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, while he said that "all ⁠28" of Iran's "mine dropper boats are also lying at ​the bottom of the sea."

The announcement by Trump came as there were reports that US Naval ships were located in the Strait, Reuters reports.

Several US ships reportedly cleared the crucial, narrow shipping lane on Saturday for the first time since the US-Israel war began on Feb 28, a US official told Axios.

It was carried out to boost confidence that ships would be allowed to enter and pass through the Strait.

However, the move was not done in coordination with Iran, Axios reported.

Officials told Axios that the Navy ships had "crossed the strait from east to west to the Gulf, and then made their way back through the strait to the Arabian Sea."

But Iran's government criticized the move, calling it a "ceasefire violation."

They then threatened to attack the ships, according to Iran's State Media. But the US said that it had not received any such warning from Iran.

The reopening of the Strait has been a key sticking point amid the war with Iran.

Its reopening was part of the ceasefire deal negotiated between the US and Iran, with the help of Pakistan, on April 7.

It also comes as the US, Iran, and Pakistan started peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, led by US Vice-President JD Vance, according to Iran's State-run news agency and the White House.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, will also be in attendance, the White House confirmed.

The talks came after a reduction in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, the Associated Press reports, and were ranked as the highest-level talks held between US and Iranian officials since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

belindarobinson@chinadailyusa.com