Iran Rejects Trump Claim of US Control Over Strait of Hormuz

Tehran insists strategic waterway remains under Iranian control as tensions rise over shipping restrictions and US naval blockade. ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iran's military on Thursday rejected as "lies" US President Donald Trump's claim that Washington has gained total control over the Strait of Hormuz, insisting that the strategic waterway remains fully under the management and supervision of Iranian forces. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran's central military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, said claims that ships were passing normally through the strait were false and described them as "lies and fabrications." "The Strait of Hormuz is, as in the past, under the complete management and control of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Zolfaghari said in remarks broadcast by Iranian state television. He added that no commercial vessel or tanker could safely pass through the waterway without the permission and supervision of Iran's armed forces. Iran has maintained control over the strategic waterway since the outbreak of the Middle East war on February 28, requiring vessels to obtain permission and pay transit fees before entering the strait. Trump, however, said in a Wednesday post on Truth Social that the United States had "total control over the Strait of Hormuz." "I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!" Trump wrote, adding that the US naval blockade had been dubbed by "everyone" a "WALL OF STEEL" and claiming that there was nothing Iran could do about it. Iranian officials swiftly rejected the claim. Hossein Taeb, head of the paramilitary Basij forces affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Thursday that the waterway remained under Iranian control and that Iran was continuing its activities in "complete security." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also accused Washington of miscalculating the situation, saying the United States had repeatedly made errors because of intelligence failures. "The U.S. has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures. Case in point: The war on Iran. Now, an even bigger miscalculation on the Strait of Hormuz," Araghchi said on X. Iranian lawmaker Behnam Saeedi, a member of parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, meanwhile said US and Israeli vessels would be barred from passing through the strait. "Ships belonging to the Zionist regime will not have the right to pass through the Strait of Hormuz under any circumstances, whether in war or peacetime," Saeedi told state television. He added that US military vessels would also be prevented from passing through the waterway. Talks With Oman. Iran and Oman have been holding talks aimed at establishing a new route through the Strait of Hormuz, but the negotiations have not yet been finalized. Tehran has indicated that even if an agreement is reached on an alternative route, that would not automatically result in the full reopening of the waterway. Iranian officials say Washington would first need to meet Tehran's demands. The dispute comes as control of the Strait of Hormuz remains a major strategic issue amid the wider regional conflict. The waterway is one of the world's most important energy corridors, connecting the Persian Gulf with global markets, and any prolonged disruption could have significant implications for international oil and shipping markets.