Investing.com — President Donald Trump said the United States has begun efforts to clear the Strait of Hormuz, casting the move as a favor to major oil-importing nations while criticizing allies for failing to act themselves.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Washington was stepping in to restore a vital global shipping route while accusing allies of failing to take action themselves. This way, U.S. was acting “as a favor” to countries that rely heavily on energy flows through the Strait, including China, Japan, South Korea, France and Germany.

He criticized other nations for what he described as a lack of resolve in dealing with the disruption, saying they “don’t have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves.”

Trump also pointed to an unusual shift in shipping patterns, saying empty oil tankers from multiple countries were now heading to the United States to load crude.

“Very interestingly, however, empty Oil carrying ships from many Nations are all heading to the United States of America to LOAD UP with Oil,” he said.

The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to global markets, is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. Any prolonged disruption there can have major implications for oil prices, shipping costs and global supply chains.

Two Chinese supertankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, shipping data on LSEG showed, likely the first vessels to exit the Middle East Gulf since the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal was struck earlier this week.

Iran says talks with U.S. start in Islamabad

An Iranian delegation headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday. According to Sharif’s office, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was also part of the delegation.

Talks between Iran and the United States have begun in Islamabad, Iranian state media reported on Saturday, marking a fresh diplomatic push to ease tensions after weeks of conflict. Iran’s IRNA news agency said negotiations started after progress in earlier indirect contacts between the two sides.

According to the report, the talks involve Iran, the United States and Pakistan, which is acting as a mediator. IRNA said the meeting moved forward after a reduction in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon and other preconditions were met.

The start of talks comes at a critical moment, with the conflict having disrupted regional energy flows and heightened concerns over the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil shipments.

While details of the agenda were not immediately disclosed, the talks are seen as an attempt to lower tensions and potentially create a path toward a broader ceasefire.

U.S. rejects report of Iranian asset release deal

A senior Iranian official stated on Saturday that the U.S. has agreed to release frozen Iranian assets held in Qatar and other international banks, Reuters reported. However, a U.S. official on Saturday denied reports that Washington had agreed to unfreeze Iranian assets.

Unfreezing of these funds is directly linked to ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian officials.

(Simon Mugo contributed to the report.)