Iran’s military says ships cannot safely transit the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian permission, escalating tensions with the United States as Washington claims control over the strategic waterway.
Iran has asserted that no commercial vessel or tanker can safely pass through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz without permission and supervision from its armed forces, sharply escalating the rhetoric surrounding control of the vital maritime passage.
Iran’s main military command, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, made the statement on Thursday, according to local media reports. The declaration came in response to claims from the United States that ships were continuing to transit the waterway normally.
A spokesman for the Iranian headquarters rejected those claims, describing reports of normal shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz as false. He said the waterway remains under the “complete management and control” of the Islamic Republic of Iran and warned that commercial ships and tankers would not be able to safely navigate the strait without permission and supervision from Iranian military forces.
The statement represents a significant escalation in the ongoing confrontation between Tehran and Washington over the strategic waterway. The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one of the world’s most important maritime routes, serving as a major transit corridor for global energy supplies. Any disruption to shipping through the strait can have wider implications for international trade, energy markets and regional security.
Iranian Foreign Minister Sayed Abbas Aragchi also accused the United States of making serious intelligence and strategic miscalculations regarding the conflict with Iran. In a statement posted on X earlier Thursday, Aragchi argued that Washington had previously underestimated developments during the war and was now making another major miscalculation concerning the Strait of Hormuz.
He warned the United States against relying on what he described as inaccurate intelligence, saying that false intelligence could prove more dangerous than false information. His remarks came amid increasingly competing claims from Tehran and Washington over the security situation in and around the maritime passage.
The Iranian statements followed comments from US President Donald Trump on Wednesday in which he claimed that the United States had “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump indicated that Washington intended to maintain that position.
Trump also described the US naval blockade as a “wall of steel” and said Iran had no ability to challenge it. However, the US President did not provide operational details regarding the claimed blockade or explain precisely how Washington intended to exercise control over shipping through the waterway.
He also did not specify how long the United States expected to maintain its claimed control of the strategic passage or identify the circumstances that could lead to an end to the operation.
The conflicting statements highlight the growing uncertainty surrounding maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. While Iran insists that its military forces retain authority over the waterway, Washington has made an opposing claim, creating a sharp dispute over who controls shipping movements.
For commercial shipping companies, tankers and international markets, uncertainty over access to the strait could become a major concern. The waterway’s importance to global energy transportation means that prolonged restrictions, military confrontation or uncertainty over safe passage could potentially affect shipping decisions and energy prices.
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The latest exchange also underscores the broader tensions between Iran and the United States. With both sides issuing competing claims over the strategic waterway, the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a central point of confrontation.
Iran’s latest warning that vessels require its permission to pass safely, combined with Washington’s claim of total control, leaves the international shipping community facing conflicting messages about the status of one of the world’s most strategically significant maritime routes.
