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Trump says all mines cleared from Strait of Hormuz
Confirmed
US President Donald Trump has said that the US Navy has removed or detonated all mines in the Strait of Hormuz - the vital waterway which Iran has largely closed since the beginning of the war in the Middle East. He went on to dismiss Trump’s claims that all the mines have been cleared.
Iran and Oman are still working on the details of an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source said on Wednesday, after Iran's Revolutionary Guards said the two countries had agreed how to share the waterway and its revenues.
"Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. Iran and the US signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in June - a 14-point document which set a 60-day deadline to reach a deal on the Strait of Hormuz, before substantial negotiations on resolving the nuclear issue - allegations that Iran is building a nuclear weapon, which Tehran has consistently denied.
In an interview with conservative radio host Glenn Beck on Wednesday, Trump insisted that the strait was already open, undermining Tehran’s threat that it will keep the waterway blocked if Washington does not concede. He said "no military vessels will be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and only commercial vessels will be allowed to pass through it".
"If Iran's requests are not granted, the Strait will be closed," he said. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on Tuesday that he hoped his country and Iran would soon announce the establishment of a temporary shipping corridor in the strait after meeting his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Tehran.
The elite force's spokesperson, echoing Tehran's official stance, also said the strait would not open unless the US met Tehran's conditions under an interim ceasefire agreement that was struck in June before unravelling.
He said in a statement he also hoped for "practical arrangements" to restore safe navigation, adding: "Future management of the strait and a permanent solution will follow in due course. Trump has often said the US has control of the area - but Iran has fired against vessels it says have sought to cross without its permission.
His comments came as Oman and Iran said that an agreement on future control of the Strait had not yet been finalised. We have been in negotiations with Oman for about a month, and we have reached results that are acceptable to both sides," Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said in comments published by Iranian state media.
Background
The Strait of Hormuz is a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. On the north coast lies Iran, and on the south coast lies the Musandam Peninsula under the Musandam Governorate of Oman, with a portion of the southwest of the peninsula under the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Wikipedia — Strait of Hormuz (CC BY-SA)
What's confirmed
- "Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
- "If Iran's requests are not granted, the Strait will be closed," he said.
- We have been in negotiations with Oman for about a month, and we have reached results that are acceptable to both sides," Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said in comments published by…
- Iran and Oman are still working on the details of an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source said on Wednesday, after Iran's Revolutionary Guards said the two countries had agreed how to share the…
- “The U.S. is obstructing this process, causing progress to be delayed,” said Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- He went on to dismiss Trump’s claims that all the mines have been cleared.
What's still developing
- US President Donald Trump has said that the US Navy has removed or detonated all mines in the Strait of Hormuz - the vital waterway which Iran has largely closed since the beginning of the war in the Middle East.
- Trump has often said the US has control of the area - but Iran has fired against vessels it says have sought to cross without its permission.
- Iran and the US signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in June - a 14-point document which set a 60-day deadline to reach a deal on the Strait of Hormuz, before substantial negotiations on resolving the nuclear…
- Iran has been under sanctions for most of the time since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979 and Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh said Tehran was "fully prepared" for the wider sanctions, which he added…
- On Tuesday, China - the biggest buyer of Iranian oil - said it was firmly opposed to what it called the US's "illegal unilateral sanctions" and would take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its rights.
- Washington is likely to be wary of potential retaliation from Beijing, which processes the majority of the world's rare earths and other critical minerals, crucial in the manufacture of many high-tech products.
- Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on Tuesday that he hoped his country and Iran would soon announce the establishment of a temporary shipping corridor in the strait after meeting his Iranian counterpart…
- He said in a statement he also hoped for "practical arrangements" to restore safe navigation, adding: "Future management of the strait and a permanent solution will follow in due course.