Iran and US Trade Claims Over Control of Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Basij chief claims Tehran controls the Strait of Hormuz, countering US assertions, as reopening hinges on interim deal commitments.
The commander of Iran's Basij paramilitary force, Hossein Taeb, declared on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz is under Tehran's management and control. This statement directly counters President Donald Trump's earlier claim that the United States has "total control" of the strategic waterway.
Taeb accused Washington of attempting to undermine Iran's regional influence by instigating a conflict in the strait, but asserted that the US had failed despite claiming Iran lacked a functional air force or navy. His remarks, carried by the semi-official Fars news agency, emphasized that Iran continues its operations in the region with complete security.
The dispute follows the outbreak of war on February 28, when US-Israeli strikes on Iran prompted Tehran to effectively shut the strait, a vital artery that previously carried a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas. The US responded with a naval blockade on Iranian shipping while pledging to protect freedom of navigation for other vessels.
A June interim agreement declared a permanent ceasefire and called for a swift return to free navigation in the Gulf. However, the deal collapsed within weeks after Iran resumed limited attacks on ships it claimed were violating the agreement's terms, leading Washington to restart strikes on Iran's southern provinces.
On Thursday, senior military political official Rasoul Sanaei-Rad added that Iran will not reopen the strait unless the other side fulfills its commitments under the interim deal. He stressed that reopening the waterway is not something the US can achieve unilaterally. Sanaei-Rad also warned that Iran would respond more forcefully in any future conflict, stating, "In a possible future war, we will stand more firmly and more offensively."