TEHRAN: Iran has rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that Washington has full control of the Strait of Hormuz, insisting that the strategic waterway remains blocked and will not be reopened until Tehran’s conditions are accepted.
The Gulf Strait Authority, an Iranian body established to oversee the waterway, dismissed repeated statements by US officials that the Strait of Hormuz was no longer blocked.
In a statement posted on social media, the authority said American claims about lifting the blockade did not alter the reality on the ground.
It maintained that the Strait would remain closed until Iran’s conditions were accepted, without providing further details of those conditions in the statement.
The response came after Trump claimed that the United States had established complete control over the strategically vital waterway, which connects the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
The competing claims underscore the continuing tensions surrounding the Strait, a major international maritime route through which a substantial volume of global energy supplies normally passes.
Iran’s assertion that the waterway remains blocked contrasts sharply with Washington’s position and Trump’s repeated public statements regarding US control of the passage.
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The Strait of Hormuz has long been a major flashpoint in tensions between Iran and the United States because of its strategic importance to global energy markets and international shipping.
Any prolonged disruption to maritime traffic through the waterway could have wider implications for energy supplies, shipping and regional economic activity, making the status of the Strait closely watched by governments and international markets.
The latest exchange also reflects the sharply divergent positions of Tehran and Washington over the management and accessibility of the waterway, with Iran maintaining that its conditions must be met before the Strait can be reopened.
