Trump: U.S. Taking Control of Hormuz After Iran Talks Fail

President Donald Trump declared Monday that the United States is reasserting control over the Strait of Hormuz, dismissing Iranian claims to the strategic waterway in a Fox News interview that revealed extraordinary details about the collapse of weekend negotiations with Tehran.

The president disclosed that American and Iranian negotiators had engaged in an 11-hour marathon session Sunday night, only to see the talks disintegrate when Iranian officials requested modifications to terms they had already accepted. Trump characterized the Iranian reversal as emblematic of Tehran's negotiating style and announced he would reject any further changes to the framework.

"Well, we're taking over the strait. They have nothing, they have nothing," Trump stated when asked about Iranian threats to the waterway. The declaration came as tensions escalated following renewed U.S. airstrikes on Iranian military installations in southern Iran, targeting facilities used to threaten commercial shipping through Hormuz.

The president revealed previously undisclosed details about the negotiating process, describing a grueling session that stretched through the night. "Something nobody knows, yesterday they had an 11-hour meeting. All of it, 11 hours with these guys — you know, you can't get a sentence in an hour, in a minute. It was supposed to take one minute," Trump said, his frustration evident.

According to the president's account, negotiators believed they had reached a comprehensive agreement by the end of the session. "And it was all agreed to yesterday, and they leave the room and they call back and say we had to make a few changes," Trump recounted. The Iranian request for modifications triggered an immediate rejection from the White House.

"I said changes? They need to make changes? We're not going to make changes," Trump declared, characterizing the Iranian approach as perpetual renegotiation. "Always changes, they just, you know, they're professional negotiators, that's all they are. I don't even call them good at it, they haven't achieved anything, they didn't get anything from me."

The breakdown in talks occurred against the backdrop of escalating military operations, with U.S. Central Command launching strikes on Iranian positions following attacks on commercial vessels near the strait. The timing suggests the negotiations were intended to de-escalate tensions that have threatened one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints.

Trump went further, announcing plans to monetize American protection of the waterway. "We're going to keep the strait. We'll probably run it. We'll become the guardians of the strait, and this time we're going to get compensated. We protected it for 50 years without getting paid, and now we're going to make money," the president stated.