Iran's military on Thursday rejected President Trump's claim that the United States holds control over the Strait of Hormuz, calling his remarks lies and asserting that the waterway remains fully under Iranian authority.
"The false claims of the United States that ships are passing through the Strait of Hormuz normally ... are nothing more than lies and fabrications," said Ebrahim Zolfaghari, the spokesperson for Iran's central military command, Khatam-al Anbiya.
"The Strait of Hormuz is, as in the past, under the complete management and control of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and no commercial ship or tanker without the permission and supervision of the powerful Iranian armed forces has had and will have the possibility of safe passage through this strait," he said in a video carried by state television.
Trump had written on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday that the U.S. "has total control over the Strait of Hormuz," adding, "I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!"
Iran and Oman have been in separate talks to establish a new route through the strait. Those negotiations have not been finalized. Tehran has said that even if the talks produce a new route, the waterway would not reopen unless the U.S. meets Iran's demands.
According to CBS News, last month's operation in which Trump secretly moved from Air Force One to another aircraft by way of a catering truck took place within a day of U.S. and Turkish intelligence picking up on an Iranian plot to fire a missile at the presidential jet.
In Yemen, clashes between Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces raged overnight. At least one government soldier was killed and another critically wounded in fighting in the mountainous province of Taiz, Yemeni military officials told the Associated Press. Dozens of government troops have been killed in Houthi attacks since last week, the Yemeni military said. Tribal leaders in the central province of Marib said the Yemeni army also targeted Houthi movements with artillery overnight.
Iran has also appeared to demand compensation for an oil spill in the Strait of Hormuz that has washed up on Qeshm Island. Tehran has said a foreign bulk carrier appeared to be the source of the slick.
