Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Trump Says US Has Total Control of Strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump is the President of the United States.
On Wednesday, he said that America has 'total control' of the Strait of Hormuz, a very important waterway in the Middle East.
Lots of the world's oil and other goods travel through this waterway, like cars on a busy highway.
Trump wrote his message on a social media app called Truth Social.
He said the American naval blockade is so strong it is called 'a wall of steel,' and that Iran can do nothing about it.
Iran strongly disagrees and says the strait is still blocked.
Iran says it will not reopen the waterway until the United States ends the war, gives back Iran's money, and agrees to stop fighting across the region.
The two countries have been at war for almost six months, and that war is now in a standoff, meaning neither side is winning.
Because this waterway is so important to the whole world, many countries are watching closely.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the US has 'total control' over the Strait of Hormuz, adding 'I think we will keep it!'
In a Truth Social post, Trump praised the US naval blockade as 'a wall of steel' and said 'there is nothing Iran can do about it.'
Iran rejected the claim, insisting the strait remains blocked and will not reopen until its conditions are accepted.
New Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) head Mohsen Rezaei demanded the US end the war and blockade, release Iran's frozen assets, and agree to a region-wide ceasefire.
The war, launched February 28 and now nearly six months old, is in a standoff as Trump backs off escalation threats ahead of November midterm elections.
- Who
- US President Donald Trump, who made the claim; Iran (Tehran), which rejected it through the Persian Gulf Strait Authority and SNSC head Mohsen Rezaei
- What
- Trump declared the US has 'total control' over the Strait of Hormuz and will 'keep it,' while Iran insists the strait remains blocked and will not reopen until its conditions are met
- When
- Wednesday, in a Truth Social post; Trump made a similar claim to reporters on Tuesday, and told Axios on Sunday that the US is 'only semi-negotiating'
- Where
- The Strait of Hormuz, a strategic Middle Eastern waterway through which nearly 20% of global petroleum trade passes
- Why
- The strait is vital for global energy and commodity flows, and the two sides remain locked in a standoff war over control of it
US View
Iran's View
Control over the Strait of Hormuz
US View
The US has 'total control' over the Strait of Hormuz and will 'keep it'; the naval blockade is 'a wall of steel' and 'there is nothing Iran can do about it.' Trump told reporters, 'We own it.'
Iran's View
The strait remains blocked and will not reopen until Iran's conditions are accepted; Tehran says it effectively controls large parts of the waterway and that US claims 'do not change the reality.'
War strategy and status
US View
Trump says the war is in a standoff and has backed off threats to escalate ahead of November midterms, focusing on blockading Iranian ports in a 'low-keying' strategy; he says the US is 'only semi-negotiating' as Iran faces huge inflation.
Iran's View
Iran has resisted with missile attacks on US bases, Israel and Gulf targets, and its most effective response has been striking shipping in the strait, snarling the trade route and rattling the world economy.
Conditions for reopening the strait
US View
Trump acknowledges no conditions, saying Iran's military has been severely degraded and that Iran is 'all talk and no action, the Bully of the Middle East No Longer.'
Iran's View
Iran's SNSC head Mohsen Rezaei says the strait will not reopen until the US ends the war and blockade, releases Iran's frozen assets, and agrees to a region-wide ceasefire including Lebanon and Gaza.
- Speaker
- US President Donald Trump
- Platform
- Truth Social
- Core claim
- The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz; 'I think we will keep it!'
- Naval blockade
- Called 'a wall of steel' by everyone, per Trump
- Iran's response
- The strait remains blocked; 'claims don't change reality'
- Iran's conditions to reopen
- US must end the war and blockade, release Iran's frozen assets, and agree to a region-wide ceasefire including Lebanon and Gaza
- War context
- Launched February 28; nearly six months old with the war in a standoff
- Trade significance
- Nearly 20% of global petroleum trade passes through the strait
