Iran’s Armed Forces Say They Control Strait of Hormuz, Accuse Donald Trump of Lying

Hormuz Control Clash

Iran’s Armed Forces said it remains in control of the Strait of Hormuz and accused U.S. President Donald Trump of lying after Trump claimed the United States has “total control” of the strategic waterway.

Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Unified Operations Command, said in a video that “No ship, without Iran’s permission and supervision, is able to travel safely through the Strait of Hormuz,” while Trump wrote on Truth Social that “there is nothing Iran can do about it.”

The dispute is tied to the war that began on February 28, with the Iranian Armed Forces stating that the United States controls the route and Iran rejecting that claim, and with Iran closing the passage through Hormuz in mid-July after new U.S. bombings against southern Iranian territory.

Before the war, about 120 vessels crossed Hormuz daily, while in recent days about 14 ships have done so, according to the maritime monitoring platform Kpler, as the two sides continued to insist on their control of the corridor.

Reporting for this section20Minutos

No Talks, Blockade

Trump said this Tuesday that there are no conversations “in progress or scheduled” with Iran to end the war, adding that the naval blockade remains fully in effect and that the Strait of Hormuz is open and operational.

In the same message on Truth Social, Trump stated, “All sea mines have been removed or detonated,” while the 60-day deadline in the memorandum of understanding signed between Tehran and Washington on June 17 had passed.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said talks with Washington are not underway, and the NBC report said Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait include a permanent end to the war and further threats against Iran, an end to the U.S. blockade, the withdrawal of American military forces, the lifting of sanctions and the return of Iranian assets.

Democrats criticized the administration’s handling of the conflict, with Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy arguing the United States has become weaker and that the price of reopening the Strait of Hormuz continues to increase, while the administration rejected that assessment through Vice President JD Vance.

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Economic Pressure and Threats

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abdollah Enayat Araghchi called Trump’s economic offensive a “smokescreen” and “economic terrorism” that “threatens the global economy,” responding to Trump’s announcement to initiate “the most devastating economic operation ever undertaken against any country.” Araqchí wrote on his official X account that the “Economic D-Day” is an attempt to divert attention from internal financial crises, and he said the initiative is “economic terrorism that threatens the global economy and the national sovereignty of countries around the world.”

Separately, Trump threatened Oman over the Strait of Hormuz in a Fox News interview, saying, “If Oman meddles, we’ll crap all over them with … bombs,” after Iran said it reached an “understanding” with Oman to establish a maritime route in the Strait of Hormuz. The ABC report also described how the back-and-forth continues, with the Gulf Strait Authority stating, “The Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not reopen until Iran’s conditions are accepted,” as Iran conditions free transit on ending blockades and freeing frozen assets and on a ceasefire that includes Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

Reporting for this section20MinutosABC