US denies Iran controls Strait of Hormuz after IRGC claim

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a sharp denial Monday of Iranian claims regarding control of the Strait of Hormuz.

The rebuttal came after a senior commander in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps asserted that Iran has full control over the strategic waterway through its "navy."

"This is a false claim," CENTCOM stated. "Iran has no navy, as American forces sank it. Furthermore, Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz, a fact proven by the thousands of ships that have passed through it freely, along with more than a billion barrels of oil, in recent months alone."

The American denial draws on operational data from the Strait of Hormuz, through which massive quantities of oil pass daily. US President Donald Trump revealed in an interview with Israeli journalist Barak Ravid that over the most recent weekend, "more than 20 million barrels" of oil passed through the strait, the highest figure to date.

A senior American security official confirmed the figures and noted that on Friday night alone, 22 million barrels of oil were transported through the strategic waterway.

Aircraft carrier in the Gulf off Iran (Photo: US Army CENTCOM)

In recent months, American forces have carried out a series of extensive strikes against Iranian maritime capabilities. The strikes targeted storage facilities for missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, coastal surveillance sites, and air-defense assets. According to CENTCOM, the purpose of the strikes is to degrade Iran's ability to execute attacks against civilian and commercial vessels in international shipping lanes.

The American denial comes against the backdrop of ongoing tensions in the Middle East and diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement with Iran. Trump said he expects further talks with Iran later this week as part of efforts to reach a new deal with Tehran.