Trump Says U.S. Controls Strait of Hormuz as Iran Denies Talks

President Donald Trump declared Monday that the United States has complete control of the Strait of Hormuz and insisted negotiations with Iran are continuing, even as Tehran denied any talks were taking place and another security incident was reported near the strategic waterway.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Iran’s leadership of acting in bad faith, saying Iranian officials were privately seeking negotiations while publicly denying any diplomatic contacts.

“Iranian Leadership is unbelievably duplicitous!” Trump wrote. “They ask for a meeting… talks begin, with more scheduled in the immediate future, and they say, openly and proudly, that they’re not having any discussions.”

Trump also rejected Iranian claims over control of the Strait of Hormuz, writing that the waterway “is already completely controlled by the United States Navy and our ‘Blockade’ or, as some say, ‘The United States Wall of Steel!'”

He added that “nothing gets through to Iran, unless we want it to,” repeating his demand that “IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON.”

The comments come just hours after Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied Trump’s earlier assertion that negotiations with Washington were beginning Monday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said no talks were underway and no meetings were planned, adding that Iran was only engaged in discussions with Oman regarding management of the Strait of Hormuz.

Separately, Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority reiterated its own position on July 31, saying commercial transit through the waterway remains suspended.

“Due to continued aggressive actions of U.S. forces in the region, passage through the Strait of Hormuz is not feasible,” the authority said in a statement posted on social media. It said requests for transit permits would be reviewed only after “stability is restored.”

The competing claims come as security conditions in and around the Strait of Hormuz continue to deteriorate.

On Friday, GasLog confirmed that its LNG carrier GasLog Shanghai sustained damage while exiting the Strait of Hormuz. The company said all crew members were safe but did not disclose the nature of the damage.

The incident followed two security alerts issued by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), including one involving an LNG tanker struck by an unidentified projectile that damaged its engine room and left the vessel not under command. A second tanker separately reported an explosion in the water nearby but sustained no damage.

Overnight, UKMTO reported yet another incident after the master of a vessel observed an explosion in close proximity to the ship while transiting the region. No injuries or damage were reported.

The latest developments underscore the widening gap between Washington’s and Tehran’s narratives over control of one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.

The Trump administration has repeatedly asserted that U.S. naval forces are enforcing a de facto blockade against Iran and ensuring freedom of navigation through the strait. Tehran, meanwhile, continues to insist it retains authority over shipping movements and has maintained that commercial passage cannot resume under current security conditions.

The escalating war of words is unfolding against a backdrop of continued attacks on commercial shipping, leaving shipowners and insurers facing persistent uncertainty over operations through the waterway that normally carries roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies.

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