On Thursday, August 13th, 2026, Tehran declared that the Strait of Hormuz is "under Iran's control and management" following President Donald Trump's statement that the U.S. has "total control" over the waterway and might "keep it."

Iran has also demanded compensation for an oil spill in the Strait of Hormuz that washed up on Qeshm Island, attributing the spill to a foreign bulk carrier based on preliminary evidence.

In a related security development, U.S. and Turkish intelligence agencies uncovered a credible Iranian plot to fire a surface-to-air missile at Air Force One during President Trump's July 8th departure from a summit in Turkey. The president had traveled on a newly retrofitted Boeing 747 donated by Qatar, with an older Air Force One jet serving as a support aircraft.

Domestically, Senate Democrats have raised concerns about the USS Abraham Lincoln's extended deployment, citing reports of food shortages, plumbing issues, mental health crises, and deck safety concerns. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut noted the carrier has been deployed for more than 250 days without coming ashore for over 200 days, setting a record for consecutive days at sea.

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority responded to U.S. claims that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer blocked, stating on social media platform X that "the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran's conditions are accepted."

Every party benefiting from commercial shipping through the Strait carries a legal and moral obligation to address environmental harm inflicted upon the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

Sources