Iran and US Trade Competing Claims Over Who Controls the Strait of Hormuz

Iran and the United States escalated their war of words over the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, with each side publicly insisting it holds the upper hand over the strategic waterway nearly six months into their conflict.

Hossein Taeb, the newly appointed head of Iran's Basij paramilitary force, told the semi-official Fars news agency that the strait was "under Iran's control and management." He said Washington had tried to disrupt the Islamic Republic's regional standing by launching renewed military pressure around the waterway but had again failed to dislodge Iranian authority there. Taeb added that Iran would continue operating in what he described as complete security, despite what he called false claims that the country lacked an air force or navy capable of defending the passage.

The remarks came a day after President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that the United States had achieved "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz, describing the American naval presence there as a "wall of steel" and suggesting Washington might not relinquish that position. Iranian officials, including senior military figure Rasoul Sanaei-Rad, have separately said Tehran will not reopen the strait to unrestricted shipping unless the terms of an earlier interim arrangement are honored.

The dispute traces back to the outbreak of hostilities in late February 2026, when US and Israeli strikes hit Iranian military sites, prompting Tehran to close the strait to foreign shipping. Iran later set up a body it calls the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, asserting that vessels require a permit from that authority to transit the waterway, a claim it has tied to a memorandum of understanding reached in June. Washington and its allies have not recognized that permitting regime, and naval forces from both sides have maintained an extended standoff in the area.

Shipping traffic through the corridor, one of the world's most important routes for oil and gas cargo, has fallen to levels not seen in roughly three months as commercial operators weigh the risks of transiting contested waters. Roughly a fifth of global oil consumption normally moves through the strait, and prolonged disruption has kept energy markets on edge for months, with knock-on effects for fuel-importing economies including India.

Neither side has offered independent verification of its territorial claims, and the competing statements appear aimed as much at domestic and international audiences as at any immediate military objective. Analysts tracking the standoff have noted that both Tehran and Washington have repeated similar assertions of control at earlier points in the conflict without a clear resolution following either declaration.

For now, the practical situation on the water remains largely unchanged: shipping volumes stay depressed, insurers continue to price in elevated risk premiums for vessels transiting the strait, and neither military has signaled a shift in posture. Whether Thursday's exchange marks an escalation or simply another round of rhetorical positioning is likely to become clearer only if either side backs its words with a change in naval deployment or shipping policy in the days ahead.

This article is an original editorial summary based on publicly reported information. It has been independently written for publication and does not reproduce content from any single source.