Vance joins U.S.-Iran-Pakistan talks as Navy destroyers begin mine-clearing in Strait of Hormuz
Two U.S. Navy destroyers crossed the Strait of Hormuz and began mine-clearing operations on Saturday, U.S. Central Command said, as American, Iranian and Pakistani officials convened in Islamabad for face-to-face negotiations amid a fragile truce.
A senior White House official said Vance, Kushner and Witkoff took part in the talks with Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Iranian foreign affairs minister Abbas Araghchi and at least one Pakistani official. CENTCOM said the destroyers transited the strait and operated in the Arabian Gulf, marking the start of efforts to clear mines from the waterway.
The command added that additional U.S. forces, including underwater drones, will join the clearance effort in the coming days. President Trump said earlier Saturday that operations to clear mines from the strait were beginning and later wrote on social media that the Strait of Hormuz “will soon be open,” adding that “empty ships are rushing to the United States to ‘load up.’” He did not clarify what those ships would carry.
He also said the United States had been clearing the strait as a favor to other countries, without specifying the work underway, and said nations including China, Japan, South Korea, France and Germany would benefit. He added that the U.S. has destroyed Iran’s military.
According to the senior White House official, the U.S. delegation also includes Dr. Andrew Baker, the Deputy National Security Advisor to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President, and Michael Vance, the Special Advisor to the Vice President for Asian Affairs.
The broader team includes U.S. subject-matter experts on the ground in Islamabad and supporting from Washington. In a separate development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Lebanon has approached Israel several times in the past month to begin direct peace talks.
In a televised statement, he said he has given his approval on two conditions: the dismantling of Hezbollah’s weapons and a “real peace agreement that will last for generations.” Netanyahu also said the war had succeeded in “crushing” Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Pope Leo XIV on Saturday denounced what he called the “delusion of omnipotence” fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran and urged political leaders to stop and negotiate peace. The first U.S.-born pope did not mention the United States or President Trump in his prayer, which was planned before news of the Islamabad talks, though his tone and message appeared directed at Mr.
Trump and U.S. officials. “It is here that we find a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive,” he said.
“Even the holy Name of God, the God of life, is being dragged into discourses of death.” Leaders of multiple United Nations agencies issued a joint statement calling for an end to impunity for what they described as widespread violations of the rules of war and international humanitarian law in the Middle East.
They said they were alarmed by sustained breaches and demanded accountability. CENTCOM said more assets will join clearance operations in the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days. Negotiators in Islamabad continued their meetings Saturday, with no further details disclosed by the parties.