US President Donald Trump declared on Monday that American forces are taking control of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical oil-shipping chokepoint, after Iranian authorities confirmed the closure of the waterway to commercial traffic.
“We are taking control of the strait. They have nothing to lose anymore,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News, referring to Iran and the breakdown of negotiations held in recent days between Washington and Tehran.
According to Trump, the talks extended over roughly 11 hours and produced an initial understanding, but Iranian authorities subsequently presented new demands, causing the negotiations to collapse.
Trump also sought to justify the US military response, claiming that the Islamic Republic is “being defeated” in the conflict, and accusing Tehran of violating a ceasefire established under a preliminary agreement reached in June.
The Persian Gulf Strait of Hormuz Authority separately confirmed the closure of the passage, stating that the decision was taken “due to recent hostile actions by US forces.”
In an official communiqué, the Iranian authority declared that transit through the strait is currently not viable, and that authorisations for navigation will only resume once stability and security have been restored.
On Sunday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz “until further notice,” alleging that a Cypriot merchant vessel had disregarded instructions from Iranian forces operating in the area.
The Revolutionary Guard warned that no vessel would be permitted to transit the strait for as long as what it described as US “intervention” in the region persists.
The announcement was followed by a fresh military escalation between Washington and Tehran, with US air strikes that, according to US Central Command, were carried out in direct response to the Revolutionary Guard’s action against the merchant vessel.
Source: ANGOP
