The US military on Saturday said two destroyers transited the Iran-gripped Strait of Hormuz ahead of mine-clearing work, a first since the war began.Iran’s state media, however, had earlier said Tehran forced a US military ship that was attempting to cross the Strait to turn around.US revokes Green Cards of Iran officials’ relativesThe Trump administration has revoked the Green Cards of more long-term Iranian residents of the United States who are related to current or former senior Iranian officials. The State Department said Saturday it had taken action against Seyed Eissa Hashemi, the son of Masoumeh Ebtekar, Iran’s first female V-P. Hashemi is an Iranian-born lawful permanent resident of the US.The US, meanwhile, said its forces had started clearing undersea mines in the Strait.US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began setting conditions for clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz as the two US Navy guided-missile destroyers conducted operations, the CENTCOM said.USS Frank E Peterson (DDG 121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) transited the Hormuz and operated in the Persian Gulf as part of a broader mission to ensure that the Strait was fully clear of mines laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.“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,” said CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper. Additional US forces will join the clearance effort in the coming days. The Hormuz has been closed by Iran since the start of the conflict on February 28. Some 20 per cent of all global crude oil passes through the waterway, which is 33-km at its narrowest point. The closure has led to a spike in oil prices across the globe. Pertinently, the use of undersea mines is a wartime activity, and such mines are designed to explode under ships.US agreed to unfreeze assets: Tehran; Washington denies itA senior Iranian source said the US had agreed to release Iranian frozen assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks, but a US official denied the assertion.(With agency inputs)