Trump says the US has “mine swept the entire” Strait of Hormuz

On Monday, President Donald Trump announced that the United States has conducted a comprehensive mine sweep of the Strait of Hormuz, asserting that the U.S. Navy now exercises full control over the strategic waterway. In a press briefing at the Oval Office, Trump stated, "It's open now. Look, the only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now is the United States Navy." He further elaborated, "They will, on occasion, drop a mine, and we find the mine."

The president emphasized that the U.S. has thoroughly cleared the strait of any mines, noting, "You know, we’ve mine swept the entire strait, as you probably maybe heard, maybe you didn’t hear." Trump claimed that the United States holds 100% control over the Strait of Hormuz.

In the same press conference, Trump introduced a new precondition for negotiations with Iran, stating that he would demand compensation from Tehran for past grievances. This came after Iran proposed an agreement with Oman to manage the Strait of Hormuz, but insisted that U.S. compensation was a necessary condition for reopening the waterway.

Iran reiterated that an agreement with Oman alone would not suffice to reopen the strait unless the United States fulfills the outlined conditions. The statement "Trump says the US has 'mine swept the entire' Strait of Hormuz" was initially published on the Egypt Independent.