- US President Trump declared that the US is taking control of the Strait of Hormuz
- Trump said the US will become the guardian of the strait and seek reimbursement
- He claimed Iranian military capabilities had been largely destroyed in the conflict
US President Donald Trump on Monday said the United States is "taking over" the Strait of Hormuz. Minutes later, Iran issued its own statement declaring the same strait closed, blaming recent US military action.
Speaking to "Fox & Friends", Trump said, "We're taking over the strait. They've got nothing." He argued that the US should have addressed the threat from Iran "47 years ago."
Trump said Iranian leaders had taken part in an 11-hour round of negotiations with the US, during which "everything was agreed to", before Iran later began asking for changes.
"We're going to keep the strait, and we'll probably run it. We'll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we'll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And we should be reimbursed for that," he said.
Trump said the US had effectively been guarding the strait "for nothing" up to now, but that this would change, with wealthy nations expected to pay for the arrangement going forward.
"We're going to get paid for guarding it. A lot of money, but we just want to be reimbursed for doing all of this, for putting our people in danger," he said.
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In the same interview, Trump said Iran was getting its "a** kicked" in the conflict with the US. He claimed Iran's navy, air force and missile capabilities had been virtually wiped out, and named Iranian leaders he said had been killed during the fighting.
According to Trump, US strikes on Iranian targets were continuing through Monday, following his declaration over the weekend that a ceasefire with Iran was "over".
Iran Says It Has Closed The Strait
As Trump made his comments, Iran was making a competing claim of its own. Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) announced on X that it considered the Strait of Hormuz closed, pointing to what it called recent hostile actions by US forces.
"Due to recent hostile actions by the US forces, passage through the Strait of Hormuz is currently unfeasible. As soon as stability and calm are restored, all applications will be reviewed in accordance with the scheduled timeline, and the permitting process will resume," the PGSA said.
The authority added, "Remember that the sole means of obtaining a passage permit is via our website. For the latest news and updates, follow our account on X. Thank you for your patience and cooperation."
