Evidence

Multiple mainstream news outlets (The Hill, Al Jazeera, Washington Examiner, Euronews, CBS News, Yahoo News, Forbes, Bastille Post, The Shillong Times) reported in August 2026 that President Trump repeatedly claimed on Truth Social and in remarks to reporters that the United States has 'total control' over the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran. Multiple outlets directly quoted the Truth Social post: 'The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz.' However, this claim of actual control is disputed: former U.S. diplomat Richard Haass told MS NOW that no country is in total control of the strait, and Iran has publicly disputed the claim, saying it effectively controls much of the waterway and intends to impose its own toll system. No dedicated fact-check article from Reuters Fact Check, AFP Fact Check, Bellingcat, or EUvsDisinfo specifically addressing this claim was found in the search results.