As senior US and Iranian officials met in Islamabad in an effort to bring the war to an end, military tensions in the Strait of Hormuz reached a boiling point over the weekend.
According to reports in Iran's state media, security forces of the Islamic Republic issued a warning to a US destroyer that was making its way from the port of Fujairah toward the strait, demanding that it turn back immediately. Tehran claims it made clear to the Americans, through Pakistani mediators, that if the vessel continued on its course it would be attacked within 30 minutes, a threat that, according to Iran, led the ship to withdraw.
US officials, however, told The Wall Street Journal that two US Navy destroyers passed through the Strait of Hormuz as part of a mission to ensure freedom of navigation. It was the first passage by US warships through the strategic waterway since fighting broke out six weeks ago.
President Donald Trump also addressed the developments on social media, saying the US had begun a "process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz."
The naval incident took place alongside the opening of the highest-level talks yet between Washington and Tehran. The US delegation, which included Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
While Iran has set tough conditions for continuing the negotiations, including recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of sanctions and a ceasefire in Lebanon, Washington insists that opening the strait is a non-negotiable condition for any future agreement.
Iran's Foreign Ministry quickly praised the coordination between the armed forces and the diplomatic apparatus, claiming the firm response had prevented a "violation of the ceasefire." A government spokeswoman in Tehran summed up the Iranian approach to the talks by saying the delegation was conducting the negotiations "with its finger on the trigger," emphasizing the deep mistrust between the two sides.
