Trump claims US has 'total control' of Strait of Hormuz as transit drops and talks stall

Aug 12, 2026

President Donald Trump claims the U.S. has "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz, calling the naval blockade of Iranian ports a "wall of steel." However, experts dispute this as shipping transit has plummeted to a fraction of pre-war levels, with only 6 to 14 ships crossing daily compared to the usual 130. Tensions are rising following a U.S. missile strike on a cargo ship and a fatal Houthi attack in the Red Sea that killed six people, while diplomatic negotiations remain deadlocked over competing demands for damages and sanctions relief.

Trump Hormuz control claims

▪Former U.S. diplomat Richard Haass and security analyst Dennis Citrinowicz disputed President Donald Trump's claims, stating that no single country is in total control of the Strait of Hormuz.
▪U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on August 12, 2026 that the United States has total control over the Strait of Hormuz and suggested the U.S. will keep control of the waterway.
▪President Donald Trump claimed on August 10, 2026 that the United States Navy had swept the entire Strait of Hormuz for Iranian mines.
▪President Donald Trump characterized the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports as a "WALL OF STEEL" and asserted that Iran is unable to counter it.

US-Iran military escalation

▪The U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, 2026, which initially focused on Iran's nuclear program before shifting toward control of the Strait of Hormuz.
▪A U.S. Navy military helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at the Panama-flagged cargo vessel Vela Nova in the Gulf of Oman on August 11, 2026, disabling its steering and propulsion.

Houthi Red Sea attacks

▪Iran-backed Houthi rebels killed six people in an attack on the Egyptian-owned, Tanzania-flagged cargo ship Tihamah in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on August 11, 2026.
▪The Houthi rebel group declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea on July 20, 2026, claiming retaliation for a Saudi siege on Yemen.
▪The casualties in the Houthi attack on the Tihamah included three Pakistani nationals, one Indonesian crew member, and two members of the Yemeni government-allied National Resistance Forces.

Shipping transit decline

▪The International Energy Agency warned on August 12, 2026 that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is urgent as global oil stockpiles are depleting rapidly.
▪U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright claimed that oil leaving the Persian Gulf region had surpassed pre-war levels at nearly 9 million barrels per day, a figure disputed by energy analysts.
▪Shipping transit through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to between six and fourteen vessels on August 11, 2026, far below the pre-war average of 130 to 140 daily crossings.

Naval blockade enforcement

▪U.S. forces have redirected 55 commercial vessels, disabled three non-compliant ships, and boarded two since Washington reimposed its naval blockade on Iranian ports in July 2026.
▪Experts estimate that the U.S. blockade could cause Iran's economy to contract by 5.6% in 2026, marking its sharpest economic decline since 1988.
▪IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir stated that the U.S. maritime blockade is highly effective and is worsening the economic crisis inside Iran.

Diplomatic negotiations stalled

▪Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi stated on August 12, 2026 that Islamabad is actively working to bring the U.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table.
▪Diplomatic negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are stalled as the U.S. and Iran trade competing demands for war damages and compensation.
▪Iran has refused to allow full shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz until the United States lifts its naval blockade, removes sanctions, and unfreezes Iranian assets.