Iran's military dismisses Trump's claim of US control over Strait of Hormuz as 'lies'

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran's central military command, told state television on Thursday that US claims of ships passing freely through the Strait of Hormuz are fabrications. He said no commercial vessel or tanker can safely cross the strait without permission and supervision from Iran's armed forces.

Iran has controlled the strait since the war began on 28 February, requiring ships to obtain authorization and pay transit fees. On Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US has total control over the strait and intends to keep it, describing the American naval blockade as a 'wall of steel.'

Multiple Iranian officials push back

Hossein Taeb, head of the Revolutionary Guards' Basij forces, also said Thursday that the strait remains under Iranian management. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US has repeatedly miscalculated due to intelligence failures, pointing to the war on Iran as an example and warning of a new miscalculation regarding the strait.

Parliamentarian Behnam Saeedi, a member of the national security commission, told state TV that Israeli vessels are barred from the strait under any circumstances, and that US military ships would also be denied passage.

Talks with Oman ongoing

Separately, Iran and Oman are negotiating a new route through the strait, though an agreement has not been finalized. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said earlier this month that both sides are preparing a joint statement covering technical, legal, security and environmental issues. Iranian media, citing official sources, reported that reopening the strait depends on the US ending its naval blockade of Iranian ports.