Trump asserts United States now fully controls the Strait of Hormuz

Donald Trump told a press gathering that the United States now commands the Strait of Hormuz entirely, describing the Navy’s blockade of ships heading to or from Iran as infallible. Iran rejected the assertion, maintaining that it controls the strait’s security and refusing to fully reopen it without the United States acceding to a set of conditions that include sanction removals and financial reparations for damages from previous wars.

Trump proposed that Iran should also pay damages to families of protestors killed by the Iranian regime, citing a figure of "52,000 a month and a half ago" and indicating his negotiators will push for compensation in future talks. He warned that the U.S. could strike Iran hard again if needed. On a related front, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels launched missile and drone attacks on Yemen’s Mokha and Marib provinces, raising alarms about the Red Sea as an alternative oil route for Saudi Arabia while the Hormuz dispute persists.