Iran threatens to attack US Navy ships entering Strait of Hormuz after first American vessels moved through channel
U.S. Navy warships launched an operation Saturday to begin opening a new route through the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first time American vessels have traveled through the critical waterway since fighting in the region began.
The guided-missile destroyers USS Frank E. Peterson and USS Michael Murphy were sent to establish a secure path that minesweepers can later use to remove sea mines believed to have been placed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. The move comes as Vice President Vance and other officials participate in diplomatic talks in Pakistan aimed at easing tensions.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said the operation is the first step toward restoring safe maritime traffic through the strait.
“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,” Cooper said.
According to officials, the destroyers are not conducting the minesweeping themselves. Their role is to chart and secure the route so specialized vessels can later clear any mines while also demonstrating that the United States intends to reopen the strategic shipping lane.
Additional resources are expected to join the mission in the coming days, including underwater drones and other U.S. naval assets, Cooper said.
Iran reacted strongly to the movement of the ships, accusing the United States of possibly violating a cease-fire by sending vessels toward Iranian waters, according to reports. The warning came while U.S. and Iranian representatives were meeting in Pakistan for negotiations.
Iranian officials reportedly told Pakistani mediators that the American ship could be targeted within 30 minutes if it continued moving through the area, according to comments attributed to a Foreign Ministry spokesperson and reported by Khabar Network through Fars News Agency.
The spokesperson said Iranian forces responded immediately to the destroyer as it traveled from the port of Fujairah toward the Strait of Hormuz. Despite the warning, no confrontation occurred, and both American destroyers completed their transit through the channel. It was the first time U.S. Navy ships had crossed the strait in several weeks.
Reports described the movement as a freedom-of-navigation operation, and the vessels were not escorting commercial shipping.
Some analysts believe the decision to move through the strait without notifying Tehran in advance may have been intended to test whether Iran would actually act on its threats.
Dr. Steven Wills, a naval strategist with the Center for Maritime Strategy, said the move could be a way of challenging Iran’s warnings.
“This could be sort of calling Iran’s bluff in some ways too,” Wills said.
He added that Iran’s use of missiles and drones in the region has so far posed a greater threat than sea mines.
“The missile and drone threat that the Iranians have exercised over Hormuz has been much more significant so far than the mines,” Wills said, noting that mines have been discussed frequently but have not yet been widely observed.
Wills said U.S. Central Command already has detailed seabed maps of the Strait of Hormuz that can assist in mine-clearing efforts.
The destroyers will also provide protection against potential missile or drone attacks while minesweepers work. Mine-clearing operations are typically slow and complex, often carried out with helicopters, unmanned vessels and other specialized equipment.
Wills, a former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst, said the current mission could signal the start of a much larger operation in the region.
Earlier Saturday, President Trump referenced the effort in posts on Truth Social, saying Iran was “losing big” and indicating the United States had begun clearing the Strait of Hormuz.
“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 wrote, adding that those nations rely on the waterway but have not taken similar action.
He also noted that empty oil tankers from multiple countries were heading to the United States to load oil.
In a later post, President Trump said Iran’s military capabilities had been destroyed and predicted the strait would soon reopen to shipping, with tankers already moving to the United States to take on cargo.
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