Trump Asserts US Control Over Critical Middle Eastern Waterway

US President Donald Trump claimed that the US Navy has '100%' control of the Strait of Hormuz and has cleared the strategic waterway of mines, despite Iran's insistence that it will not reopen the strait until Washington ends its blockade of Iranian ports.

The closure of the strait, which normally carries roughly one-fifth of the world's traded oil supplies, has emerged as the war's most lasting consequence. Brent crude climbed to $87.82 a barrel and WTI rose above $82 as tensions over the Strait of Hormuz persisted.

Tehran demanded that the US lift its naval blockade and economic sanctions, release frozen Iranian assets, and compensate Tehran for months of war damage. Trump countered with his own demand that Iran pay for deaths and damage linked to decades of conflicts, attacks, and protests.