“We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, adding that “all 28” of Iran’s “mine dropper boats are also lying at the bottom of the sea”.

Minutes before Trump’s post, reports started to emerge about the presence of US naval ships in the strait.

An Axios journalist, citing an unnamed US official, posted that “several” US ships had crossed the strait on Saturday, though Iranian state TV soon after reported a denial from an official with Iran’s military.

Trump has repeatedly said that American forces have destroyed Iran’s navy and air force while crippling its ballistic missile and nuclear programmes.

However, fear of Iranian attacks on shipping over the past several weeks has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical conduit for global oil supplies. Throttling the strait has disrupted global energy markets.

US gasoline prices have spiked even though most of the oil that flows through the waterway does not go to the US.

Representatives from the US and Iran began talks hosted by Pakistan in Islamabad on Saturday amid a fragile ceasefire in the conflict.