Trump: We Will Control the Strait of Hormuz

SadaNews - President Donald Trump stated today, Monday, that the United States may take control of the Strait of Hormuz and manage it, pointing out that the Iranian negotiators "violated the agreement."

In a phone interview with Fox News, Trump accused Iran of retracting previous understandings with the United States, saying: "We had an agreement, but they violated it," adding: "They are bad people."

He also added, "We will control the strait, and perhaps we will manage it. We will become the guardian of the strait, and maybe we will be called the guardian angel of the strait, and we should be compensated for that," considering that financial compensation should be given for protecting one of the world's most important waterways.

He added, "The United States is in the process of controlling the Strait of Hormuz," criticizing at the same time the tactics of the Iranian negotiators who seek to make changes to what was agreed upon during hours of talks "yesterday."

These statements from the White House come after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ismail Baqaei, announced that Iran will not allow the Strait of Hormuz to become a source threatening its security.

Baqaei said during a press briefing, "We will not allow the Strait of Hormuz to become a source that threatens Iranian national security," adding that "U.S. statements about military escorting of commercial ships confirm Washington's desire to maintain instability in the region."

Meanwhile, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard stated that Tehran would not allow Washington to intervene in the management of the Strait of Hormuz, adding, "Iran will respond strongly to any attempt by America to cross the strait without Iranian permission."

The United States carried out bombing operations on Iran late Sunday into Monday, which responded by targeting Gulf states, in what has become the most intense exchange of strikes between the two sides since the ceasefire was announced on April 8.

The Strait of Hormuz is the focal point of the recent escalation between Washington and Tehran, as the latter seeks to maintain the control it established over it since the outbreak of the war, when it nearly completely closed the strategic corridor for fuel supplies, severely impacting the global economy.

Iran insists that the situation in the strait will not return to what it was before the war. It intends to impose what it calls service fees on ships while the U.S. insists on freedom of navigation.

Over the weekend, Tehran announced the reclosure of the strait to the movement of fuel tankers, leading to a sharp increase in oil prices.