Basij Chief: Iran Retains Control of Strait of Hormuz, US Defeated

By Staff, Agencies

The United States was defeated in its attempt to alter the balance of power around the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran continues to maintain control over the strategic waterway, the head of Iran’s Basij Organization, Sheikh Hossein Taeb, said on Thursday.

Taeb said the funeral ceremony for martyred Sayyed Ali Khamenei demonstrated the strength of the Islamic Revolution. He added that Washington had provoked the confrontation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to shift the regional balance of power but had once again failed.

The Basij chief stressed that the Strait of Hormuz remains under Iranian management and control, saying Iran continues to pursue its policies in conditions of security and stability.

In a related development, a senior Iranian political-security source told Al-Mayadeen on Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and under Iranian monitoring and control, emphasizing that Tehran has made “no change whatsoever” to its policy.

The source warned vessels against violating Iranian procedures, saying ships attempting to pass through the waterway currently face significant safety and technical risks.

The Iranian official also accused US President Donald Trump of spreading false reports in an effort to influence market prices and reiterated that Iran’s position regarding the Strait of Hormuz remains unchanged.

The remarks directly contradicted Trump’s claim that “the only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now is the United States Navy.”

They also followed comments by Major General Mohsen Rezaei, representative of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who said on Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz would not be reopened unless the United States changed its position and accepted Tehran’s conditions.

Rezaei further said that any potential agreement between Iran and Oman concerning arrangements for vessels transiting the strait should be treated separately from the broader issue of reopening the waterway.

Separately, Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said Iranian authorities had thwarted what he described as preparations for a ground attack against the country.

“We nipped the malicious intention to attack us by land in the bud,” ISNA quoted Azizi as saying.

He warned that Iran would respond broadly to any renewed threat to its security, saying that those who endangered the safety of the Iranian people would face consequences.

“The enemies should know that if they miscalculate once again and endanger the security of our people, we will deprive them of security across the world,” Azizi said.