Trump Claims Control of Hormuz Amid Naval Blockade Clashes

The United States and Iran are locked in a five-month conflict that has severely disrupted global shipping in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. Donald Trump claimed the U.S. has "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz, describing the naval presence as a "steel wall" and an "infallible" blockade of Iranian ports. He demanded reparations from Iran for combat deaths and victims of domestic protests as a condition for diplomatic progress.

Iran has countered by closing the Strait of Hormuz, with Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei stating the waterway will remain closed until the U.S. releases frozen assets, ends its military campaign, and agrees to a region-wide ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon. While former Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman warned that Iran may control the strait indefinitely, regional intermediaries from Pakistan and Qatar suggest a peace arrangement may be near.

Military escalations intensified on August 12. United States Central Command used Hellfire missiles from a Navy helicopter to disable the steering and propulsion of the M/V Vela Nova, a Panama-flagged container ship, after it attempted to breach the U.S. blockade in the Gulf of Oman. Simultaneously, Iran-aligned Houthi rebels launched ballistic missiles at the Tihamah, an Egyptian-owned cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The attack killed six people, including four crew members and two Yemeni rescuers. These events triggered a global energy supply shock, pushing Brent crude futures to approximately $90 per barrel.