A new account citing U.S. Central Command claims the United States has taken effective control of the Strait of Hormuz, with American forces protecting commercial shipping while cutting off Iranian oil exports.
The source says Iranian mines have been cleared from international shipping lanes and that nearly 1,500 commercial vessels have passed through under U.S. protection, carrying 750 million barrels of crude oil to global markets.
It also claims Iran has exported no oil from its shores since the blockade resumed in July, while 75 vessels attempting to break the blockade were turned around. Gulf oil exports, according to the source, have recovered to two-thirds of pre-operation levels and continue to rise.
Trump Claims Total Control
President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that the U.S. Navy, not Iran, controls the strategic waterway.
On Aug. 10, Trump said, “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… We control the Strait, 100%.”
He followed with similar statements over the next several weeks, saying on Aug. 11 that the U.S. “totally” controls the strait and on Aug. 14 that, “In the true sense, we own the Hormuz Strait, and we only allow boats to come in if we want them to come in.”
By Aug. 27, Trump said, “The Strait of Hormuz is open. We have control, and we have the blockade. Iran is not getting anything; nothing is going through.”
Supporters Say Iran’s Leverage Is Eroding
Several analysts and former officials quoted in the source argue that Iran’s ability to use the strait as economic leverage has weakened.
Former Deputy National Security Advisor KT McFarland said, “Iran overplayed its hand by closing Strait. Countries developed work-arounds w/ pipelines, US exports, and then reopened Strait. For 50 yrs Iran blackmailed world. No longer. That card is dead.”
John Spencer, West Point Chair of Urban Warfare Studies, said Iran’s claims about closing the strait are not supported by shipping activity. “It has neither closed the strait nor effectively stopped maritime traffic,” Spencer said.
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, said Tehran can continue to threaten the waterway, but argued that “its hold over the Strait of Hormuz is being eroded, while its economy is deteriorating and its revenue streams are drying up.”
Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs said the evidence does not support the idea that the U.S. has lost ground, saying U.S. forces have been clearing the strait and moving oil through while targeting Iran’s military resources.
Economic Pressure Becomes the Central Battle
The source frames the blockade as part of a broader economic pressure campaign against Iran. It says Operation Economic Outcast is aimed at cutting off remaining financial lifelines as Iran faces a domestic fuel crisis, currency collapse and inflation.
Former Deputy National Security Advisor Victoria Coates said the blockade on Iranian exports through the Strait of Hormuz was Trump’s “most devastating tool,” claiming Iran is losing an additional $13 billion a month and is cut off from critical imports.
Analyst Adolfo Franco described the conflict as a “grinding contest of attrition,” arguing that the Trump administration has shifted from expectations of a quick victory to a slower effort to deny Iran the resources it needs to survive.
Dr. Mahjoob Zweiri, director of Qatar University’s Gulf Studies Center, said economic pressure is testing Iran “where it is weakest” and sharpening divisions inside its leadership.
Supporters of the strategy, including FDD CEO Mark Dubowitz and FDD Senior Advisor Richard Goldberg, credited U.S. military leadership and said the blockade is working despite Iranian threats.
The claims present a stark argument from Trump and his allies: that the Strait of Hormuz remains open for approved commerce, while Iran’s ability to profit from or weaponize the waterway is being steadily reduced.
