13/07/2026
Share:
13/07/2026
Share:
TEHRAN, Jul 13: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday vowed to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, rejecting any U.S. role in the strategic waterway after President Donald Trump said Washington would keep the passage open and announced plans to reinstate a blockade targeting Iranian shipping.
"We will continue to exercise sovereignty and control over the Strait of Hormuz with strength and power," IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said.
Mohebbi accused the United States of endangering global energy security through its actions in the Gulf, saying Washington had "put global oil and gas supplies at risk" and "must be held accountable."
Separately, a spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said Tehran would "under no circumstances" allow the United States to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.
The spokesperson warned that Iran's armed forces would respond "with force" to any U.S. military interference involving commercial or oil tanker traffic outside routes designated by Iran and without authorization from its armed forces.
Iran also warned that any regional country providing logistical support to U.S. military operations would be considered as participating in a war against Iran's sovereignty and national security.
The statements came after Trump announced that the United States would reinstate a blockade targeting Iranian ships and customers while keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for all other nations. He also declared that the U.S. would become the "Guardian of the Hormuz Strait" and proposed charging a fee equal to 20% of cargo transiting the waterway to cover security costs.
In separate remarks to Fox News, Trump claimed Iran's military had been devastated and said its top commanders had been killed.
"They have no navy, they have no air force, it's all gone. Their anti-aircraft is gone, their leaders have all been killed, their best leaders have been killed," Trump said.
He also claimed, without providing evidence, that "Khamenei is gone, the son is 90% gone," referring to Mojtaba Khamenei, a claim that Iran has not acknowledged.
