Does the US have any control over the Strait of Hormuz?

On Wednesday, United States President Donald Trump as well as US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth claimed that the US now controls the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran, however, maintains that the strategic passage has been shut and insists that it possesses the authority to stop maritime traffic moving through the corridor.

Located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, the Strait of Hormuz serves as the only maritime outlet connecting the oil-producing Gulf region to the open ocean. Nearly one-fifth of global oil supplies move through this route, making it indispensable for international energy markets.

The waterway itself is surprisingly narrow. At its tightest point, the strait measures only around 33 kilometres across.

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The designated shipping lanes used by tankers are even narrower — approximately two miles wide in each direction — with a buffer zone separating inbound and outbound traffic.

Which countries border the Strait of Hormuz?

Three countries occupy key positions around the waterway. Iran controls the entire northern coastline of the strait. In addition to its mainland coast, Tehran possesses several strategically important islands, including Qeshm, Hormuz and Larak.

These locations provide direct visibility over shipping routes and enable Iranian military forces to monitor activity throughout much of the corridor.

On the southern side lies Oman, specifically the Musandam Peninsula, an Omani exclave separated from the rest of the country by the United Arab Emirates. The internationally recognised Traffic Separation Scheme used by commercial shipping largely falls within Omani territorial waters.

The United Arab Emirates occupies territory immediately west of the chokepoint and borders the southern approaches to the strait.

Because the corridor is so narrow, maritime traffic is forced to pass through waters that fall under the jurisdiction of Iran and Oman, making both countries the only players in any dispute involving navigation through the passage.

How has the Strait of Hormuz crisis been faring?

The crisis began on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched extensive strikes against Iranian military targets. During those attacks, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was assassinated.

Iran responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a major shock to global energy markets and contributing to one of the sharpest increases in oil prices in decades.

On April 13, following the collapse of diplomatic discussions in Islamabad, the United States formally initiated a naval blockade covering Iran's coastline. This created a dual blockade scenario.

Under this arrangement, Washington sought to restrict maritime activity linked to Iran, while Tehran attempted to disrupt broader shipping activity in the Gulf.

A temporary easing of tensions followed during a regional truce in Lebanon. Iran briefly signalled a reduction in restrictions affecting the strait. However, the reopening did not last. According to reports, Tehran subsequently reinstated restrictions and introduced a toll system under which certain vessels could face charges reaching $2 million for passage.

The latest in the crisis emerged after the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter on June 8 near Oman. Trump warned that Iran would face consequences, and within days the United States launched strikes against Iranian military infrastructure along the country's southern coast.

Iran then announced what it described as a complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Why does the United States say it controls the strait?

The Trump administration maintains that despite Iranian threats and closure declarations, commercial shipping continues to move through the corridor because of American military protection.

On June 10, Trump disclosed details of a previously undisclosed military effort aimed at facilitating commercial transit through the strait.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Last month, I directed our Great US Military to execute a secret mission to support Oil Tankers and other Commercial Ships through the Straight of Hormuz."

He added, “Today, I am pleased to announce that this effort has resulted in more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil making its way through the Straight, and into the Open Market. More than 200 Commercial Ships have safely travelled through the Strait. This wildly successful effort is because the UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz — NOT Iran. Their military is defeated, and their economy is lost. It’s over for Iran!"

“I’m just announcing today for the first time. We’ve been taking MILLIONS of barrels of oil! Every night, we took out oil. We have been taking out ships carrying millions of barrels of oil from Iran, and Iran was not aware of this," Trump said.

“Nobody knows about it. IRAN didn’t know until right NOW! We took out 22 ships the other night, late at night with NO LIGHTS because they don’t have radar, we blasted the crap out of it," he added.

“I’m going to tell you because they just figured it out. So now that they figured it out, I can tell you it was very hard for me. I wanted to say it so badly. When it’s over, you will see oil drop to where it was before."

The US president also argued that these operations prevented oil prices from rising above $200 per barrel and helped keep crude below $90.

What is Project Freedom and what has Hegseth claimed?

Trump's position was reinforced by Hegseth during remarks outside US Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Hegseth indicated that a military effort associated with Project Freedom had continued despite public uncertainty surrounding the operation.

"... the US Central Command has known that Project Freedom, the idea of running ships through the Strait of Hormuz, has never stopped. It just went underground... we've been protecting commercial shipping going through the Strait of Hormuz, as the president announced, to the tune of over 100 million barrels that have moved through and more. in the middle of the night, protected by the United States in a way that Iran can't stop. They can't see it, and they can't stop it..."

The operation has been the subject of conflicting reports. Project Freedom reportedly began in early May with the goal of escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. Reports later suggested the initiative had been suspended shortly after launch.

Subsequent reports indicated that the operation may have resumed later in the month. At the time, however, US Central Command publicly rejected claims that the Navy had restarted escorting commercial shipping.

Hegseth also outlined what he described as the effectiveness of the US naval blockade against Iran.

"If our blockade is ironclad, which it is. We just disabled another tanker attempting to leave just yesterday. Our blockade has stopped almost 140 ships attempting to navigate in or out of Iranian ports. If our blockade is ironclad, which it is, and we're able to move commercial shipping in and out of the Strait of Hormuz, who controls the Strait of Hormuz? President Trump said it, and he's right. The United States of America controls the Strait of Hormuz. We're able to move oil in and out and other things with partners and have done so now for weeks and weeks in ways the Iranians don't want to acknowledge. That's a powerful reality on the ground..."

Why does Iran reject those claims?

Tehran's assessment of the situation differs fundamentally from Washington's. Iranian military authorities and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy have declared that the Strait of Hormuz is closed to all maritime traffic, including international commercial shipping.

The announcement followed two nights of US military strikes against radar sites, air-defence facilities and naval positions in southern Iran, particularly around Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island.

Iran says the closure is being actively enforced. State media reports indicate that Iranian forces have already fired on two vessels that allegedly attempted to transit the waterway despite the closure order.

The latest declaration also follows earlier attacks against commercial shipping, including the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello. The incident left multiple seafarers, many of which were Indians, missing and attracted criticism from the International Maritime Organisation.

Alongside maritime measures, Iran has also claimed responsibility for missile and drone attacks directed at US military infrastructure in Bahrain and Kuwait.

So who really controls the Strait of Hormuz?

Based on the ground reality at the moment, neither side possesses absolute and uncontested control.

Iran retains geographic dominance over much of the northern side of the waterway and maintains the ability to threaten maritime traffic through missiles, drones, mines and naval assets.

The United States, meanwhile, possesses overwhelming naval and air capabilities in the surrounding region and continues to escort or facilitate the movement of commercial vessels while enforcing a blockade targeting Iranian maritime trade.

As a result, the current reality is best described as contested control.

Iran can create risks and attempt to deny access. The United States can protect shipping and restrict Iranian maritime activity. Both sides are exercising forms of control, but neither has eliminated the other's ability to influence events.

What does international law say?

Most countries and international legal frameworks treat Hormuz as an international strait governed by the principle of transit passage. Under this interpretation, ships and aircraft enjoy the right to move through the waterway without interference, provided they are engaged in continuous transit.

Iran advances a different interpretation. Tehran argues that the applicable standard is innocent passage, which gives coastal states greater authority to restrict maritime activity when national security is threatened.

Another complication stems from treaty status.

While Iran signed the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, it never ratified it. Tehran therefore argues that it is not fully bound by the convention's provisions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated on June 9 that Iran does not regard Hormuz as international waters but instead views it as a corridor jointly shared by Iran and Oman.

The United States and the United Nations reject that position and maintain that transit rights through the strait cannot legally be suspended.

That legal disagreement remains unresolved.

With inputs from agencies