Two Navy guided-missile destroyers entered the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the first American warships to transit the strait since the U.S.-Israel offensive in Iran began on Feb. 28. USS Frank E. Peterson (DDG-121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) are now in the Persian Gulf after transiting the strait as part of the U.

The destroyers were beginning mine-clearing operations in the vital waterway, U.S. Central Command said Saturday.

A Thai-flagged cargo vessel was struck in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday shortly after departing from the United Arab Emirates, as regional tensions continue to disrupt one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s small, fast-attack boats hold sway in the strategic waterway.

President Donald Trump said the U.S. military would remain around Iran until a real agreement is reached and fully complied with.

The U.S. military said on Saturday that it had started “setting conditions” for clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz, with two U.S. warships passing through the key waterway. “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,

Historic face-to-face negotiations continue between the United States and Iran in Pakistan, days after a fragile, two-week ceasefire was announced

Friday marks six months since Gaza's ceasefire deal took effect, a milestone largely lost in the confusion over the new and even more fragile ceasefire in the Iran war. The ravaged Palestinian territory of 2 million people has seen the most intense fighting stop between Israeli forces and Hamas-led militants.