2 destroyers transit Strait of Hormuz ahead of mine-clearing operation, US military says
(AP) - The U.S. military on Saturday prepared for mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz as two Navy destroyers transited the waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil normally flows, U.S. Central Command said in a news release.
The destroyers are part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines previously laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, CENTCOM stated.
Iran’s state media said earlier on Saturday that it had forced a U.S. military ship that was attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz to turn around.
The strait has been effectively closed to most oil and gas freighters since the U.S. and Israel began to strike Israel on Feb. 28. Cease-fire talks are now underway in Pakistan. The United States and Iran began face-to-face negotiations Saturday in Pakistan, days after a fragile, two-week ceasefire was announced.
The war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets entered its seventh week.
Direct Talks with Iran
The White House confirmed the direct nature of the talks. The talks came after U.S. and Iranian officials met separately with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and the Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf were discussing how to advance the ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel’s continued attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Presidemt Trump downplays Iran negotiations, says deal ‘makes no difference’
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, Trump claimed military victory against Iran and downplayed the importance of ongoing ceasefire negotiations involving Vice President JD Vance because “regardless what happens we win.”
“Let’s see what happens – maybe they make a deal maybe they don’t,” the president said. “It doesn’t matter. From the standpoint of America, we win.”
Trump acknowledged “very deep negotiations” with Iran. But he also said the U.S. military was searching for mines in the Strait of Hormuz, which still remained effectively closed to most freighters carrying oil and natural gas out of the Persian Gulf.
From U.S. Central Command
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began setting conditions for clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz, April 11, as two U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers conducted operations.
USS Frank E. Peterson (DDG 121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) transited the Strait of Hormuz and operated in the Arabian Gulf as part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines previously laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
“Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM.
The Strait of Hormuz is an international sea passage and an essential trade corridor that supports regional and global economic prosperity. Additional U.S. forces, including underwater drones, will join the clearance effort in the coming days. - X
Iran denies claims that US vessels entered the Strait of Hormuz, state media say
A spokesperson for Iran’s joint military command denied an earlier claim by the U.S. that two Navy destroyers transited the waterway, adding that “initiative over the passage of any vessel rests with the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran”, according to Iran’s state media.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil and natural gas traded once passed, is expected to be one of the most challenging points of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, currently taking place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
Thousands attend anti-war demonstration in Tel Aviv after wartime restrictions eased
The protesters filled Tel Aviv’s Habima Square on Saturday evening, holding up signs calling for an end to Israel’s “eternal war” and chanting “more suffering in Lebanon will not bring us security.”
At a smaller protest held there the previous weekend, amid missile attacks from Iran and Yemen, police dispersed the protesters using force and arrested at least 17, citing security restrictions.
Ifat Kalderon, whose cousin Ofer Kalderon was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza and released last year, told the Associated Press she came to the protest to call for Israel to put an end to its wars “in Iran, in Lebanon and in Gaza.”
She said the war with Iran had achieved no positive results. “The reality is the same as before, perhaps even worse. We need to translate everything into agreements, we can’t keep living constantly in war.”
US says talks with Iran and Pakistan continuing
As of 10:21 p.m. local time in Islamabad, the trilateral in-person talks were ongoing, a senior White House official told reporters traveling with Vice President JD Vance.
More than 2,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon during the Israel-Hezbollah war, according to health officials
The death toll in Lebanon from Israeli strikes in the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah has risen to 2,020, the Lebanese health ministry said Saturday.
The death toll from nearly six weeks of war includes 248 women,165 children and 85 health workers, the ministry said. Another 6,436 people have been wounded. Nearly 100 people were killed in the past 24 hours.
The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group fired missiles into Israel on March 2 in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran. A tentative truce is now in place in Iran, but the U.S. and Israel say the agreement does not apply to Lebanon, while Tehran says it does. The question is likely to be one of the thornier points in the U.S.-Iran ceasefire negotiations now underway in Pakistan.