Following the breakdown of negotiations between the US and Iran in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, President Trump announced that the US would implement measures including the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The President stated that countries such as the US and the UK are dispatching minesweepers to the strait to clear the Iranian-laid mines.
In an interview on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures” on Sunday, Trump said, “We have deployed minesweepers there. We have highly advanced underwater minesweeping equipment now, the best and most advanced, but we are also mobilizing more traditional minesweepers.”
“As far as I know, the UK and several other countries are also sending minesweepers,” he added.
During the interview, President Trump revealed that the issue of mines was not discussed in the negotiations in Islamabad, but he leans towards believing that Iran has indeed deployed some mines.
A spokesperson for the UK government told CNN on Sunday that the UK is working with countries like France to form a “broad alliance” to ensure the passage of the Strait of Hormuz.
“We continue to support freedom of navigation and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, which is crucial for supporting the global economy and reducing domestic living costs,” the spokesperson said. “The Strait of Hormuz must not be subject to tolls. We are urgently collaborating with France and other partners to form a broad alliance to protect freedom of navigation.”
Last month, UK Prime Minister Stammer stated that the UK’s mine-clearing system had been deployed in the Middle East.
After the breakdown of negotiations between the US and Iran, earlier on Sunday, Trump announced that the US would begin blocking the Strait of Hormuz and start clearing the mines laid by Iran in the strait.
Following Trump’s statement, Iranian media cited the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as saying that the Strait of Hormuz remains under Iran’s “complete control.”
President Trump said on his social media platform “Truth Social” on Sunday that Iran was charging illegal fees to passing ships, calling it “extortion on a global scale” that cannot be accepted.
During the Fox News interview, the President explained why he decided to order the US military to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. He stated that Iran cannot be allowed to control which ships can pass through the strait.
“We will not allow Iran to make money by selling oil to whomever they like through controlling passage,” Trump said. “Either let them all through or none at all, that’s it.”
Trump also mentioned that this military blockade by the US would be similar to actions previously taken against Venezuela but on a larger scale.