Iran says Strait of Hormuz is under exclusive control

Iranian military officials said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz remains under the Islamic Republic’s exclusive control, pushing back against what they described as US assertions of authority linked to President Donald Trump.

The message was issued by the Basij Organisation and the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, and was framed as part of heightened naval tension connected to a US-Iran confrontation that, officials said, began on February 28.

Statements from Basij and Khatam al-Anbiya on transit Statements from Basij and Khatam al-Anbiya on transit Islamic Republic In their account, the two organisations said Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began. They presented the waterway as strategically significant because it previously carried about 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas. Officials attributed the current situation to the collapse of a June interim ceasefire agreement. They said the arrangement had briefly aimed to restore transit rights through the strait, but that its breakdown left no agreed pathway for resuming passage. US blockade claims and competing positions The Iranian officials said the United States responded by establishing a naval blockade directed at Iranian shipping. In the same description, they said US officials framed their position as protecting freedom of navigation for vessels that are not Iranian. Iran’s statement said the waterway would remain closed until Washington meets commitments that Tehran says were included in the failed interim deal. The officials did not specify what those commitments are, leaving key terms of the earlier arrangement unclear in public.

Warnings of escalation and unresolved next steps

Iranian military officials also warned that any further escalation would be met with an increasingly offensive posture, presenting their message as a response to the confrontation surrounding the strait. Separate analysis cited in the source said Iran Separate analysis cited in the source said Iran may be widening the conflict to increase economic pressure on the US administration. The same analysts said current military conditions do not pose an existential threat to the Iranian government.

It remains unclear whether either side will return to terms resembling the June interim arrangement. Uncertainty also persists over how long blockade and counter-blockade measures can continue without a new understanding on transit rights through the Strait of Hormuz.