Trump Says US Will ‘Take Control’ of Strait of Hormuz, Vows Tough Action Against Iran

Washington, July 2026 : US President Donald Trump on Monday declared that the United States would take control of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and could assume a long-term role in ensuring security in the region after accusing Iran of violating a military understanding and continuing to launch drones into the busy maritime corridor.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump said Washington had already carried out major strikes against Iranian military assets and warned that any further hostile actions by Tehran would be met with a strong military response.

“We’re taking over the Strait. They have nothing. They’ve got nothing,” Trump said, asserting that the United States would not allow Iran to threaten one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.

The President revealed that American forces had conducted overnight strikes targeting Iranian military installations, claiming that the attacks had severely weakened Tehran’s capabilities.

“We hit them very hard last night. Every time they send a drone, we hit them very hard,” Trump said. He added that much of Iran’s military equipment had already been destroyed, including key air defence systems.

“Most of their equipment is gone. Their anti-aircraft guns—we hit them very hard last night,” he remarked.

Trump also disclosed details of negotiations that had reportedly taken place between Washington and Tehran. According to him, both sides had reached what he described as a completed agreement after extensive discussions, only for Iran to seek changes at the last moment.

“But we had a deal. What nobody knows, we had a deal. It was a done deal. And then they broke it,” he said.

The President claimed Iranian negotiators had participated in an 11-hour meeting during which they accepted all the proposed terms before later attempting to reopen negotiations.

“I said, changes? They got to make changes? We’re not going to make changes. Always changes,” Trump said. “They’re professional negotiators. That’s all they are. I don’t even call them good at it.”

Expressing frustration over what he described as repeated violations by Iran, Trump argued that previous agreements had also failed because Tehran had not honoured its commitments.

“They always break it. We’ve had 10 deals with these people, and so we’re just going to hit them very hard. And we’re going to keep the Strait, and we’ll probably run it,” he said.

Suggesting that the United States could permanently oversee maritime security in the region, Trump remarked that Washington might become the “guardian” of the crucial waterway.

“We’ll become the guardian of the Strait. Maybe we’ll call it the guardian angel of the Strait,” he said.

Trump also maintained that countries benefiting from safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz should contribute financially to its protection. He argued that the United States has safeguarded the waterway for decades while bearing the burden of security costs alone.

“And we should be reimbursed for that. When we do that, we’re going to be reimbursed because the other nations are very wealthy,” he said.

He added that the US could no longer be expected to shoulder the responsibility without compensation.

“Now we’re going to guard it, and we’re going to get paid for guarding it. It’s a lot of money. But we just want to be reimbursed for doing all of this, for putting our people in danger,” Trump stated.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints, connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. A substantial share of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas exports passes through the narrow waterway, making its security critical for international energy markets, particularly for major importers such as India, China, Japan and several European nations.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)