TEHRAN — A senior Iranian official said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz remains under the control of the Islamic republic after President Donald Trump claimed US control over the strategic waterway.

 

"Today, you see that the Strait of Hormuz is under the management and control of the Islamic republic, and our country continues on its path in complete security," said Hossein Taeb, head of the paramilitary Basij forces affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, according to state television.

 

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States is in control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz and will “keep it.”

 

“The USA. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Our Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, ‘A WALL OF STEEL,’ and there is nothing Iran can do about it.”

 

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that serves as the gateway to the Gulf, carried around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the war.

 

Benchmark Brent crude futures have risen sharply since the war began in February, reaching a peak of $126 a barrel, around 75 per cent above pre-war levels. Prices have remained volatile amid concerns about potential disruptions to Gulf oil supplies and changing signals surrounding peace talks.

 

A US helicopter on Tuesday fired missiles into the engine room of a Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to break the American blockade of Iran's ports, the United States military said.

 

The US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired on and disabled the M/V Vela Nova "after the ship's civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from American forces," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X, adding that the vessel "is no longer transiting to Iran in violation of the US blockade."