Trump says U.S. controls Strait of Hormuz, demands Iran pay reparations
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. Navy had cleared mines from the Strait of Hormuz and now has “100 percent” control of the strategic waterway, as a dispute over war reparations added to tensions with Iran.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the strait was “open now” and that the U.S. was the only country controlling the waterway. He said U.S. forces had detected and removed mines laid intermittently by Iran.
The U.S. has maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports since mid-April.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Washington lifts the blockade and meets other conditions. Iranian officials have also said an arrangement being discussed with Oman would not amount to a full reopening of the waterway.
Trump on Tuesday said Iran’s demand for compensation for war damage had given him an “interesting idea,” arguing that Tehran should instead compensate the U.S. for Americans killed or wounded in attacks linked to Iran, as well as Iranian protesters he said had been killed by the Iranian government over the past five decades.
Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr said on Aug. 8, that reopening the strait would require the U.S. to lift its naval blockade and sanctions, withdraw its forces from the region, pay war reparations and release frozen Iranian assets. Iran also wants an end to U.S. attacks on its regional allies.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei on Tuesday rejected U.S. claims that sanctions were weakening Iran, saying Washington increasingly relies on sanctions when diplomacy fails.
The dispute leaves Washington treating its naval presence as essential to maintaining access through the strait, while Tehran considers the U.S. blockade the main obstacle to restoring normal shipping.