US and Iran Clash Over Control of Hormuz Strait

The United States and Iran are issuing contradictory claims regarding military control of the Strait of Hormuz during an ongoing six-month war. Donald Trump asserted that U.S. forces maintain strong control over the waterway, claiming American surveillance detected and destroyed an Iranian rocket system intended for mine deployment before it became operational. Trump stated that U.S. forces have removed existing mines and possess surveillance capabilities extensive enough to track Iranian movements in near real time.

U.S. officials claim up to 40 commercial ships carrying millions of barrels of oil transit the strait daily under military escort. However, independent ship-tracking data from Kpler and Lloyd's List Intelligence contradicts these figures, recording an average of only 12 to 14 vessels per day. Analysts suggest this discrepancy may result from the U.S. including smaller craft or dark transits not captured by commercial tracking.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf rejected the U.S. claims, maintaining that Iranian forces remain in complete control and will target vessels using unauthorized routes. While the U.S. military claims to have cleared transit lanes, the Joint Maritime Information Center continues to maintain a severe risk level. Additionally, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization claimed that two oil tankers were disabled by mines while using an illegal route.