Iran rejects Trump’s claim to ‘control’ Hormuz: What’s the latest in talks?

What Happened

Mohsen Rezaie, newly appointed head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told China’s ambassador to Tehran, Cong Peiwu, that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States accepts Iran’s conditions and changes its behaviour, according to Tasnim news agency. Rezaie’s statement refuted President Donald Trump’s claim at Joint Base Andrews a day earlier that the US has ‘total control’ of the strait. Iran’s demands include lifting sanctions, releasing frozen assets, compensating for attacks, ending the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, and achieving a region-wide ceasefire including Gaza and Lebanon. Meanwhile, maritime tensions escalated: US Central Command reported that an MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at the Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova in the Gulf of Oman, disabling its steering, after the vessel allegedly attempted to breach the US blockade of Iranian ports. Separately, Yemeni authorities said a Houthi attack on the Egyptian-owned cargo vessel Tihamah in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait killed four crew members and two Yemeni rescuers, with Houthi-affiliated media claiming the ship carried Saudi military equipment. Shipping data from Kpler showed only eight vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on the day of the report, down from a pre-war daily average of about 130, while oil prices climbed.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb are critical chokepoints for global energy: Hormuz alone carries one-fifth of global oil and natural gas in peacetime, with Bab al-Mandeb handling about 11% of oil and 8% of LNG trade. The effective closure and ongoing attacks are severely disrupting commercial shipping, pushing oil prices higher, and signaling an escalation of the US-Iran conflict beyond direct airstrikes to sustained maritime economic warfare. The diplomatic stalemate over preconditions for reopening the strait suggests no near-term de-escalation, while attacks spilling into Bab al-Mandeb show the conflict drawing in Iran’s regional proxies more directly, with Saudi Arabia already responding by forming a new maritime alliance.

Watch For

Possible resumption of open warfare as both sides harden rhetoric; reports from US media that American air defense interceptor stockpiles for Patriot and THAAD systems may be running low, which could embolden Iranian or proxy attacks; IRGC adviser’s statement about developing capability to operate on ‘enemy soil’ may foreshadow expanded covert or direct operations; monitoring of daily vessel transit numbers through Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb for further deteriorations; progress in bilateral talks with Oman over strait management; and the Saudi-led maritime alliance’s operational debut in the Red Sea.