Trump Claims Total US Control Over Strait of Hormuz

United States President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that the U.S. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz and will keep it, asserting that the American naval blockade is being called "A WALL OF STEEL."

Trump made the claim on his Truth Social platform, reiterating statements he made to reporters on Tuesday. He told reporters at Joint Base Andrews that the U.S. has total control and owns it, adding that Iran does not have control. U.S. forces on Tuesday disabled the steering gear of the Panama-flagged commercial vessel M/V Vela Nova after it attempted to violate the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and ignored repeated warnings.

U.S. Central Command stated that a Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the vessel's engine room. As of Tuesday, U.S. forces had redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to violate the blockade, disabled three non-compliant vessels, and boarded two. Trump also stated he does not trust Iran, saying they have lied to me constantly.

Iran, however, maintains it effectively controls much of the waterway and intends to impose a toll system in response to the U.S. war launched on February 28. Iran has said it will not allow full traffic in the strait until the U.S. naval blockade is lifted, sanctions are lifted, and its assets are unfrozen. Transit through the strait fell to a one-week low of eight ships on Tuesday, compared to a pre-war rate of 130 to 140 ships daily.