Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Aug 13: Iran's main military command, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, on Thursday said no vessel can safely transit the Strait of Hormuz without permission from Iranian authorities, local media reported.
"The false American claims that ships are passing through the Strait of Hormuz normally are nothing more than lies and falsehoods," the headquarters' spokesman said, according to Iran's state-controlled Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
"It is announced that the Strait of Hormuz, as in the past, is under the complete management and control of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and no commercial ship or tanker will be able to safely transit through this strait without the permission and supervision of the powerful Iranian armed forces," he added.
Earlier on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Sayed Abbas Aragchi accused the US of miscalculating its approach to the conflict with Iran.
"The US has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures. Case in point: The war on Iran. Now, an even bigger miscalculation on the Strait of Hormuz. Worse than fake news is fake intelligence. Be careful," he said in a post on X.
The remarks came a day after US President Donald Trump said the United States has "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz and indicated that Washington intended to maintain its hold over the strategic waterway.
"The USA has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I think we will keep it!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump described the US naval blockade in sweeping terms and claimed that Iran was unable to challenge it.
"Our Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, ‘a wall of steel,’ and there is nothing Iran can do about it," he said.
The US President did not provide operational details about the reported blockade. He also did not specify how long Washington expected to maintain control of the Strait or outline the conditions under which the operation could end.
The latest statements from Tehran and Washington underline the escalating tensions over the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a major international maritime route for commercial shipping and energy supplies.