Iran's military chief says Strait of Hormuz 'completely closed,' rejecting Trump's claim

Iran's armed forces chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, said the Strait of Hormuz is completely closed and under the control of Iran's armed forces, rejecting President Donald Trump's repeated assertions that the waterway is open.

The chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, said the Strait of Hormuz is "completely closed" and under the control of Iran's armed forces, rejecting President Donald Trump's assertions that the vital waterway is open.

"Contrary to the U.S. president's claim that the Strait of Hormuz is open, this strategic waterway is completely closed and under the control of the Iranian Armed Forces," Abdollahi said, according to Iranian media.

Trump: 'We now control the Hormuz Strait'

Trump has repeatedly said the strait is open thanks to U.S. naval power. In a Fox News interview on Sunday he said: "We now control the Hormuz Strait. They get nothing. We get everything," adding that more business was moving through the strait than before the war because of the Navy's blockade of Iranian ports.

Chart of daily ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Central Command has said commercial shipping continues through the strait. Independent maritime tracking data, however, show traffic remains far below prewar levels, and several vessels have been struck in and around the waterway this month.

Abdollahi has also said Iran will not allow U.S. warships into the Persian Gulf "under any circumstances." The dispute comes amid reports that Washington and Israel are preparing options for a new round of strikes on Iran, with the aircraft carrier USS George Washington rearming in the Arabian Sea.

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