Trump Claims '100%' US Control Over Hormuz

Synopsis

Iran has demanded compensation for war damage before it will allow the vital energy corridor to be completely reopened. Whereas, U.S. President Donald Trump asserts that the U.S. Navy has "100 per cent" control of the Strait of Hormuz following mine-clearing operations.

Advertisement

"We Control the Strait 100 Percent" Says Trump

Tensions remain high with Iran over conditions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which the US Navy has just cleared of mines, and Trump has been adamant that the US Navy now has "100 per cent" control of the waterway. At the Oval Office, Trump tells reporters.

“The only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz, right now, is the United States Navy. We have a blockade that's been infallible, it's a steel wall. And we let people in that we want to let in, and those people come in, and they're going out — we do not let them go into Iran. They're not admitted into the Strait of Hormuz to go to Iran.”

Advertisement

The reparations issue has become the new flash point

Tehran had demanded that Trump compensate for damages from the war and other concessions before it would be willing to restore shipping through the strait, a move which is likely to be costly.

On August 8, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, said Tehran's demands included the withdrawal of the US navy presence and sanctions from the region, as well as the withdrawal of American troops from the region, compensation for the damages caused by the war, the return of the frozen Iranian assets and the end of attacks on Tehran's regional allies.

Trump put the demand back on Tehran. Trump told reporters that they might want reparations, or money for the damage that we've done, and I said that's a good idea, well we're going to ask for money for the damage they've done over a 50-year period, which might include compensation to pay damages for US people who were killed or wounded in the Middle East.

This is an Admission of Residual Risk

Trump admitted the blockade isn't airtight, even though he made sweeping claims. "Now, can they make trouble? Yeah, they can cause trouble, but they are broke, they have no money,'' Trump told reporters, referring to the current state of affairs with Iran, "this is a little bit complex.

Advertisement

They will, on occasion, drop a mine, and we find the mines," said President, adding, "We've mine swept the entire strait. Also, Trump said Iran was "financially bankrupt" and that it was "having trouble paying its soldiers" and that inflation was over 300 percent, a figure that hasn't been independently reported and was attributed to Trump by a reliable source.

The waters roll again with such tension

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) on Tuesday morning issued a warning to ships to "take account of the latest maritime security information and be aware of the changing operational environment" regarding the incident involving a tanker and military forces in the Gulf of Oman, off the Strait of Hormuz.

Diplomatic Backchannels

In a separate statement, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry in Qatar told Al Jazeera that the negotiations between Iran and Oman to open a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz were at a "critical juncture.

Why the Strait Matters

Prior to the war, the Strait of Hormuz was one of the world's biggest energy choke points, with one-fifth of the world's oil flowing through the waterway. Whether it's Iranian mine laying or a failure to reach a de-escalation agreement, either event will have direct ramifications for global oil prices and shipping costs, keeping the corridor in the spotlight of military and economic calculations in the current US-Iran standoff.