US President Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that the United States military has started to clear the Strait of Hormuz, and that all of Iran's minelaying ships have been sunk.
"We're now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote in a social media post, adding that "all 28" of Iran's, "mine dropper boats are also lying at the bottom of the sea."
Minutes before Trump's post, reports started to emerge about the presence of US naval ships in the strait.
A journalist from far-left Axios, citing an unnamed US official, posted that "several" US ships had crossed the strait on Saturday, though Iranian state TV soon after reported a denial from an official with Iran's military.
Trump has repeatedly said that American forces have destroyed Iran's navy and air force while crippling its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
But fear of Iranian attacks on shipping over the past several weeks has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical conduit for global oil supplies. Throttling the strait has disrupted global energy markets.
US gasoline prices have spiked even though most of the oil that flows through the waterway does not go to the United States.
Representatives from the US and Iran began talks hosted by Pakistan in Islamabad on Saturday amid a fragile ceasefire in the conflict.
(Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Jan Harvey and Sergio Non)
