Two U.S. Navy destroyers crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday without incident, The Wall Street Journal quoted three sources as <a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-war-latest-news-israel-us-lebanon-2026?mod=WSJ_home_mediumtopper_pos_1">saying</a>. They are the first U.S. ships to cross the waterway since the war with Iran began six weeks ago.

The event was not agreed with Iran, Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/11/us-iran-navy-strait-of-hormuz">writes</a>. According to the newspaper's interlocutor, the passage of destroyers should strengthen the confidence of commercial vessels that it is possible to cross the strait.

The maneuver came as U.S. and Iranian negotiators met in Pakistan to discuss terms for ending the war. US President Donald Trump insisted that the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial conduit for the world's oil supplies, must be unblocked as part of the ceasefire. "We are embarking on a cleanup of the Strait of Hormuz," he wrote on the Truth Social network on Saturday.

For his part, Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said on April 10 that one of Tehran's main conditions is the unblocking of Iranian assets frozen in Qatar.

<i>This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor</i>

Legalizing Iranian fees for tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz would be a negative for the US dollar, Frontier Investments head Louis Laval has warned

The price of the Strait of Hormuz: How much Iran will get from duties on a fifth of its oil supplies

Despite the agreement on a <a href="https://oninvest.com/article/ssa-i-iran-soglasilis-na-dvuhnedel-noe-peremirie-cena-nefti-wti-ruhnula-na-16">temporary ceasefire</a> between the U.S. and Iran and the agreement to open navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, more than 800 ships remain blocked on both sides of this waterway, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-08/shipowners-eye-hormuz-ceasefire-window-for-800-trapped-vessels">writes.</a> Their owners are trying to sort out the details of the deal concluded by the parties.

'No renewal in 24 hours': 800 ships stand in the Strait of Hormuz despite the deal

The United States does not yet have an understanding of when the first oil tanker will be able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said March 25. She said Washington is working to ensure restoration as soon as possible. That said, the conditions Iran has put forward include recognizing its control of the crucial shipping lane. Tehran has said the strait will remain open after the war but will not revert to its previous regime.

U.S. Navy ships pass the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the start of the war