DUBAI, Aug 13 - Hossein Taeb, the head of Iran's Basij paramilitary force, said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz is "under Iran's control and management," according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
The statement from Taeb came after U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that the United States had "total control" of the strategic waterway. The two competing assertions present contrasting claims about authority over one of the world's most closely watched maritime chokepoints.
Taeb directly addressed what he described as efforts by the United States to weaken Iran's regional popularity by instigating another conflict in the Strait of Hormuz. He said that such an effort had not succeeded. In his remarks he said: "Today you see that the Strait of Hormuz is under the management and control of the Islamic Republic."
Taeb also said Iran had been victorious in the face of the U.S. actions, noting the United States had previously asserted that Iran had neither an air force nor a navy. "Today you see that the Strait of Hormuz is under the management and control of the Islamic Republic," he said, and he added that Iran was "continuing on its course in complete security."
The account of Taeb's comments was published by Fars, described by the report as semi-official. The original report places these remarks a day after the U.S. president's post asserting American dominance of the waterway, framing the two statements in close temporal proximity.
The report does not provide additional operational details about how Iran is exerting that control, nor does it include a response from U.S. officials to Taeb's claims. It also does not supply independent verification of either side's assertion of control over maritime operations in the strait.
Reporting limitations
The information presented here is limited to the statements quoted and attributed in the report. The article does not furnish further specifics about actions on the water, deployments, or independent confirmation of control, and it does not include reactions beyond the quoted remarks.