Strait of Hormuz: Washington asserts that the passage remains open despite the war

The United States launched a third wave of strikes against Iran this weekend after a commercial vessel was hit in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran declared the passage closed, a claim Washington categorically rejects.

Donald Trump President Trump asserted on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz was "open" during an interview with NBC News. In a separate interview with CNN, the US president stated that Iran had been hit "very hard" the previous night, adding that the two countries were close to an agreement on Saturday before an Iranian attack on a ship derailed everything. "They were giving in on everything, and then two hours later they hit a ship with a drone. There's something wrong with these people," he said.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed this position in a statement published on X: “The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to legally transit this international waterway.” The U.S. military stated that its forces were “positioned and ready” to guarantee freedom of navigation, before concluding: “Iran does not control the strait. Traffic flows.”

This third series of US strikes in a week targeted "approximately 140 Iranian military targets," according to CENTCOM, including missile and drone sites, ammunition depots, and coastal surveillance positions. In total, since the beginning of the week, more than 300 targets have reportedly been struck on Trump's orders, with the stated objective of "degrading Iran's ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels."

The vessel, the Cypriot-flagged GFS Galaxy, caught fire after being struck nine nautical miles off the coast of Oman. The crew was forced to abandon ship. Of the eleven Indian nationals on board, ten were rescued; one remains missing, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, which stated that its embassy in Muscat is closely monitoring the situation.

Iran claimed responsibility for retaliatory strikes against US bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that it had destroyed a fighter jet maintenance facility and a command center at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, as well as refueling platforms for US aircraft carriers in the Omani port of Duqm. The United Arab Emirates' air defense systems were activated, and Bahrain's Interior Ministry called for calm.

Qatar, for its part, issued a maritime alert requesting the temporary suspension of all navigation, including pleasure boats, fishing vessels and jet skis, "for reasons of public safety".

On the diplomatic front, the Sultanate of Oman summoned Iranian Ambassador Mousa Farhang to deliver a note of protest following Iranian drone attacks on the Omani regions of Al-Batinah and Musandam. This move is particularly noteworthy from Oman, which traditionally maintains a neutral stance and often plays a mediating role between Washington and Tehran.

The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, accused the United States of violating the memorandum of understanding signed in June between the two countries. In a message posted on X, he wrote: “The era of one-sided agreements is OVER. We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking at the door.” He attached a screenshot of the memorandum's text stipulating that Iran would “take measures” to ensure the “safe passage of commercial vessels” through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian state media also announced the death of an Iranian army officer, Lieutenant Hamidreza Dehghan, during the overnight US airstrikes on the southern port of Jask. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called on all parties to "exercise restraint," stressing that "dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path" to resolving the conflict.