US Clears Mines in Strait of Hormuz to Restore Freedom of Navigation

The United States began clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz on April 6.

CENTCOM said forces began setting conditions for clearing mines as two guided-missile destroyers transited the strait.

Al Jazeera

CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper explained, We began the process of establishing a new passage.

The move came after a month and a half of closure following Iran's mining of the strait.

The US has been a champion of freedom of navigation for over a century.

Iran demanded the right to collect fees from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States is not formally a party to UNCLOS but recognizes most of its provisions as customary international law.

Al-Jazeera Net

Charging for passage through Hormuz would be a first among straits that fall under UNCLOS.

The Suez Canal and Panama Canal are governed by their own specific treaties, not UNCLOS.

Singapore declared it will not negotiate with Iran for passage through Hormuz.

The UK countered Iran's toll demand with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper declaring shipping must be toll-free.

The European Commission stressed freedom of navigation must be ensured with no payment or toll.

Senior American and Iranian officials met in Islamabad to hold talks aimed at ending the conflict.

CENTCOM denied sinking an American aircraft carrier.

The US Secretary of Defense ordered the deployment of the USS Thomas Hudner and additional fighter aircraft.

The U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet serves as the direct commander of operations in the Gulf.

The United States is the world's largest operator of aircraft carriers, with 11 active carriers.

Al-Sharq

These carriers function as floating air bases.

Naval presence in the Gulf rests on a mix of operational dispersion and ongoing technological development.

The USS America was sunk after a 25-day live-fire test.