President Donald Trump says the U.S. military has begun clearing the Strait of Hormuz of mines despite his earlier brag that other countries would do that for him.
“We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to Countries all over the World, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and many others,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Saturday, adding that they “don’t have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves.”
U.S. Central Command confirmed the mission, writing that Navy ships “began setting conditions for clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz.” It added that two warships, the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. and USS Michael Murphy, had transited the passage already.
The Strait of Hormuz, largely closed since Trump’s war with Iran began on Feb. 28, was effectively closed after Iran placed mines throughout much of the waterway, bringing a critical passage for roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments to a standstill.
Trump demanded in March that NATO allies help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, claiming the U.S. “shouldn’t be there at all” because “we have a lot of oil.” However, the strait’s closure spiked the average cost of a gallon of gas in the United States more in March than in any other month since 1967.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Some top NATO allies rejected the president’s calls for help in the region.
“This is not our war,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said, according to The Independent. “We have not started it.”
With countries refusing to get involved and Trump reportedly furious with them, the White House is considering measures against allies that do not back its war with Iran, including the possible withdrawal of American troops from NATO states, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Top U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance, met with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday to hold peace negotiations.
There was no immediate word on how the in-person peace talks went.
