Iran rejects Trump’s claim of US control over Strait of Hormuz

Abi Sarabia M., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
August 15, 2026

Photo courtesy: Abid Raza Naushad Facebook Page

Iran has firmly denied a statement by United States President Donald Trump asserting that Washington now holds total control over the Strait of Hormuz, with Iranian military and government officials insisting the strategic waterway remains under Tehran’s full authority.

The dispute surfaced after Trump told reporters that the United States, not Iran, controls the strait. “We have total control over the Hormuz Strait right now,” Trump said. “They don’t have control. We have total control. We own it. And at some point, maybe they’ll do something and then they get blown away.”

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Military Command, dismissed the claim as false. “America’s baseless claims regarding the standard passage and transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz are nothing more than a sign of helplessness and desperation on the part of that country’s military, and are pure lies and fabrication,” he said.

Zolfaghari said the strait remains, as before, under the complete management and control of the Islamic Republic of Iran. “No commercial ship or oil tanker has had, or will have, the ability to safely pass through this strait without the authorization and supervision of the powerful Armed Forces of Iran,” he said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also pushed back on Trump’s statement, saying the United States has repeatedly miscalculated in the region due to intelligence failures. Araghchi said the ongoing war in Iran was itself evidence of this pattern, and characterized Washington’s current position on the Strait of Hormuz as an even larger miscalculation.

Behnam Saeedi, an Iranian parliamentarian and member of the National Security Commission, said the strait is closed to US and Israeli vessels. He said Israeli ships would not be permitted passage under any circumstance, whether during war or peace, and that US military ships would likewise be barred.

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes, has been a flashpoint since fighting broke out in the Middle East in February. Iran has since required ships passing through the waterway to obtain authorization and pay transit fees, a practice that runs counter to Trump’s assertion of American control over the route.

Iran and Oman are separately discussing the creation of a new route through the strait, though officials said no final agreement has been reached. Tehran maintained that even if a new route is agreed upon, it would not automatically mean the waterway opens to broader traffic unless the United States meets Iran’s demands.