US-Iran War News Highlights: Iran dismisses Trump’s claims of ‘total control’ over Hormuz as ‘lies and fabrications’

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Hossein Taeb, the recently appointed head of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, said the strategic waterway is under Iran’s “management and control.”

Taeb’s remarks came a day after US President Donald Trump claimed the United States had “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz.

Taeb accused Washington of trying to undermine Iran’s regional standing through another war but said Tehran had emerged victorious.

Iran shut the waterway after US-Israeli strikes began on February 28. The route previously carried about one-fifth of global oil and LNG shipments.

Washington subsequently imposed a naval blockade on Iranian shipping and ports while saying it would protect navigation for vessels traveling to and from non-Iranian ports.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US military can maintain its blockade of Iranian ports for as long as necessary.

"Indefinitely the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we'll rotate ships in and out, as we have, and we'll continue to," US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed they targeted an Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia’s Jizan region with two drones on Thursday.

The group said the attack was retaliation for alleged Saudi violations of Yemeni airspace and sovereignty in Saada and Hajjah.

The Houthis warned they would “respond decisively” to any further violations or attacks against Yemen.

A years-long truce between the Houthis and Saudi-backed, internationally recognised Yemeni government appeared to collapse last month amid wider regional tensions.

Iran's military dismissed US President Donald Trump's claim that Washington has “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz as “lies and fabrications.”

Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari said the strategic waterway remains under the “complete management and control” of Iran.

Tehran says commercial ships and tankers cannot safely pass through the strait without permission and supervision from Iranian armed forces.

Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz said his forces will not withdraw from the security zone until Hezbollah is disarmed.

Katz instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to prepare for an extended military presence in southern Lebanon to protect Israeli troops and communities.

Washington said an indefinite Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon would not be consistent with the US-backed framework agreed with Lebanon.

The agreement calls for a gradual Israeli withdrawal linked to the verified disarmament of Hezbollah and the Lebanese military taking control of southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah has opposed Beirut's negotiations with Israel and ruled out discussing its weapons before Israeli troops withdraw.

Israel says its military presence is necessary to protect northern Israeli communities from attacks by Hezbollah.

Washington said the Lebanese military has begun implementing the first “pilot zones” as part of the process to take control of southern Lebanon.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide on Thursday backed Iran's right to protect itself as a state and expressed support for Pakistan's mediatory role in the ongoing US-Iran war as he held talks with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and discussed bilateral cooperation and international developments.

During the meeting, both sides reviewed the whole gamut of bilateral cooperation in various fields, including trade, investment, climate change, maritime affairs and education, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The two sides also held in depth discussions on regional and international developments of mutual interest, it said.

— PTI

Iran and the United States remain deadlocked over efforts to end their months-long conflict in the Gulf, with Tehran saying there has been no progress toward reviving an interim agreement reached in June or setting a timeline for implementing its commitments.

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Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said two people “affiliated with American and Israeli intelligence agencies” were killed in a clash with security forces in the country’s southeast, state broadcaster IRIB reported.

The ministry also said four others were arrested while allegedly attempting to enter Iran as part of a plan to destabilise Sistan and Baluchestan province and target its infrastructure.

The Strait of Hormuz is "under Iran's control and management", the head of Iran's Basij paramilitary unit, Hossein Taeb, said on Thursday, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

The remarks came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that the U.S. had "total control" of the strategic waterway.

Taeb said the United States had sought to disrupt what he described as the Islamic Republic's popularity in the region by launching another war in the Strait of Hormuz, but had once more been defeated despite claiming Iran had neither an air force nor a navy.

"Today you see that the Strait of Hormuz is under the management and control of the Islamic Republic," Taeb said, adding that Iran was continuing on its course in complete security.

— Reuters

Iran’s central bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said the country is expected to join the New Development Bank (NDB), the multilateral financial institution established by the BRICS nations. His remarks were reported by Iranian state media on Wednesday, ahead of a BRICS finance meeting in India. However, the NDB’s corporate communications department did not confirm the development, Reuters reported.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the US “has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures,” comprising when carrying out its war on Iran.

In a post on X, Araghchi stated Washington’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz were “an even bigger miscalculation.”

“Worse than fake news is fake intelligence,” the foreign minister said.

Hojjatoleslam Hossein Taeb, the commander of the IRGC’s Basij paramilitary, has reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz is “under Iran’s control and management”.

“Today you see that the Strait of Hormuz is under the management and control of the Islamic Republic, and our country continues on its path in complete security,” Taeb was quoted as saying by Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.

“The Americans saw the power of the Islamic revolution,” he added.

Majid Ansari, a senior aide to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, has defended talks with the US, saying war and negotiations are "complementary." Ansari, the Vice President for Legal Affairs, was quoted as saying by the state-owned media that Iran was not seeking war or hostility, but defended negotiations with Washington amid criticism at home.

"We will achieve our objectives in the Strait of Hormuz and the region," Ansari said, adding that Iran was moving closer to a point where it could pursue regional security with its neighbors "without the presence and interference of foreigners."

Ansari also warned that authorities would act against people inside Iran who created what he called "distractions" if they were found to be working for Iran's enemies.

British maritime security company Ambrey has said that it has been engaged in the salvage of the stricken tanker Caroline Bezengi off the Omani coast.

According to Reuters, salvage vessels are en route to support the operation, adding that specialist personnel have already boarded the tanker to assess conditions on board and begin cargo and vessel stabilisation.

Ambrey said it is working diligently with all relevant stakeholders, including authorities within Oman, and has contracted the support of a leading international oil spill response company.

Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the Senior Advisor to the IRGC Commander-in-Chief, Major General Ahmad Vahidi, has claimed that the country’s ballistic missile production rate exceeds its operational launch rate.

Speaking on a state television broadcast, Naqdi stated: “We are currently producing, and this process is unending.” According to Naqdi, the current production rate of Iranian ballistic missiles exceeds the rate at which they are being launched, with a similar dynamic applying to drone manufacturing.

He added that Iran does not rely solely on existing stockpiles, as defense equipment manufacturing remains continuous. Naqdi claimed that even if the war continues for years, ballistic missiles will still be manufactured in Iran and supplied to the armed forces on the final day of the conflict.

Alireza Salimi, a lawmaker and member of Iran’s parliament Presiding Board, has claimed that the Strait of Hormuz was more valuable for the country strategically than pursuing nuclear weapons.

“The Strait of Hormuz is a blessing that God has placed in Iran’s hands,” Salimi said, in an interview with the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA), adding that US actions had “opened the way” for Iran to use the waterway.

“With the Strait of Hormuz, we can resolve the issue of sanctions and compensation and retaliate,” he added.

Congressional Democrats demanded answers Wednesday about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, following reports of food shortages, broken plumbing and mental health crises during the aircraft carrier's record-setting deployment.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Wednesday, Senator Richard Blumenthal called for the Navy to account for conditions aboard the aircraft carrier, which "has been deployed more than 250 days" without coming ashore "in over 200 days, setting a record for consecutive days at sea."

US intelligence officials expressed skepticism about an alleged Iranian assassination threat against Trump, The Washington Post has reported. The alleged credible threat had resulted in Trump switching aircraft to fly out of Turkey last month. According to US officials, the threat was relayed by Israel to the CIA.

But the agency’s analysts did not find the intelligence convincing and informed administration officials of their reservations, according to The Washington Post.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that countries like France should stop lecturing the world about “human rights” and international law.

“The hypocrisy is blatant and embarrassing. Your backing of Israel’s genocide in Gaza—and aggression against Iran—has destroyed whatever moral high ground you imagined you had,” he said in a post on X.