Trump Claims Total Control Over Strait of Hormuz as Iran Rejects Sanctions
US President Donald Trump intensified pressure on Iran by claiming American control over the Strait of Hormuz and stating that Tehran wanted an agreement but was not yet prepared to accept what he described as the 'right deal'. Speaking at Joint Base Andrews, Trump said Washington's expanding economic pressure on Tehran did not mean military options had narrowed.
He claimed Iran was under severe economic and military strain and said the US had 'total control' of the area around the Strait of Hormuz amid the continuing blockade. Hours later, addressing a rally in Myrtle Beach, Trump hardened his rhetoric further by describing the Strait of Hormuz as 'American territory'. 'They want to make a deal so badly,' Trump said, before asserting US control over the strategic waterway.
Iran rejected both Trump's claims over Hormuz and Washington's latest sanctions offensive. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Trump's assertions regarding the strait would eventually be 'corrected', while Supreme National Security Council head Mohsen Rezaei mocked Washington's claim of ownership when, according to him, it had been unable to fully reopen the waterway.
Despite the standoff, oil continued to move through Hormuz with heavy US military involvement. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that more than 15 million barrels of oil and petroleum products had passed through the strait with US military assistance on Tuesday.