Trump claims US has total control over strait of Hormuz after Iran seizes two container ships
The Guardian • • nation
Key Points:
- US President Donald Trump claimed the US has “total control over the strait of Hormuz,” despite Iran seizing two container ships and a Pentagon report warning it may take six months to clear mines from the waterway.
- The Pentagon reported around 20 mines in the strait, some remotely placed, complicating navigation and prolonging the impact on global oil supply, though a Pentagon spokesperson called the report “inaccurate.”
- Iran's leadership is reportedly divided between hardliners and moderates, with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei seriously wounded in a recent US-Israeli attack, contributing to uncertainty in Tehran.
- The US and Iran continue to impose competing blockades on the strait, keeping global oil prices near $100 a barrel, while Iran refuses to attend peace talks, citing US violations of a ceasefire.
- Both sides have conducted military operations in the region, including US special forces boarding an oil tanker suspected of carrying Iranian crude and Iranian commandos seizing container ships, escalating tensions and a propaganda war.
