United States (US) President Donald Trump stated that American military forces have “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime passage, amid tensions with Iran.
“We totally control the Strait of Hormuz. We control it; nobody else, just us. Our Navy is incredible and things are going very well for our country,” Trump said on Tuesday to reporters. The head of state also said the situation with Iran “is going very well,” although he once again expressed distrust toward Iranian authorities.
“I don’t trust Iran. I’m the last person who would trust Iran. They have lied to me constantly,” the President said, before insisting that it is Washington, not Tehran, that currently controls the strait.
Read more about this topic: Iran seeks to bar US and Israeli ships from Hormuz, impose tolls on others
Hours earlier, American forces confirmed an attack against a Panamanian-flagged vessel that was attempting to approach an Iranian port, in violation of the blockade imposed by Washington. Also on Tuesday, the new secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, warned that the Strait of Hormuz “will not be opened” until the US “changes its behavior and accepts the conditions” set by Tehran.
In statements cited by the Tasnim news agency, Rezaei said that the agreement on a new maritime route, to be finalized between the Islamic Republic and Oman, should be viewed “separately” from the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and will not mean its reopening.
