Iran rejects Trump claims of US control over Hormuz as 'lies'

Iran's military on Thursday rejected as "lies" remarks by US President Donald Trump claiming control of the Strait of Hormuz, saying the strategic waterway was fully under Iranian control.

The rebuttal came from Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran's central military command, Khatam al-Anbiya.

Does Iran control the Strait of Hormuz?

Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its complete management and control, and that no commercial ship or tanker can pass without permission from Iranian armed forces.

Iran has held this control since the war in the Middle East broke out on February 28, requiring vessels to obtain permission and pay transit fees to use the waterway.

What did Iran's military say about Trump's claims?

"The false claims of the United States that ships are passing through the Strait of Hormuz normally, are nothing more than lies and fabrications," Zolfaghari said in a video carried by state television.

"The Strait of Hormuz is, as in the past, under the complete management and control of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and no commercial ship or tanker without the permission and supervision of the powerful Iranian armed forces has had and will have the possibility of safe passage through this strait," he said.

What did Trump claim about the Strait of Hormuz?

In a Wednesday Truth Social post, Trump claimed the US "has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!" "Our Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, 'A WALL OF STEEL,' and there is nothing Iran can do about it," he added. Trump's remarks prompted a wave of rejections from senior Iranian officials on Thursday.

How have other Iranian officials responded to Trump?

Hossein Taeb, head of Iran's paramilitary Basij forces under the Revolutionary Guards, also said the strait was under Iranian control on Thursday.

"Today, you see that the Strait of Hormuz is under the management and control of the Islamic republic, and our country continues on its path in complete security," he said, according to state television.

Iran's top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, said the US has made miscalculations regarding the waterway. "The U.S. has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures. Case in point: The war on Iran. Now, an even bigger miscalculation on the Strait of Hormuz," he said on X.

Will US and Israeli ships be allowed through the strait?

Iranian parliamentarian Behnam Saeedi, a member of the National Security Commission, said the strait is closed to US and Israeli ships.

"Ships belonging to the Zionist regime will not have the right to pass through the Strait of Hormuz under any circumstances, whether in war or peacetime," he told state TV, adding that US military ships will also be barred from passing through the strait.

Are Iran and Oman negotiating a new route through the strait?

Iran and Oman have been in talks to establish a new route through the strait, though negotiations have not yet been finalized.

Tehran says that even if the talks produce a new route, this would not on its own open the waterway. Iran maintains that any opening depends on the US meeting its demands.