Evidence

The claim traces to a real Truth Social post by President Trump during the 2026 US-Israel-Iran conflict, in which he wrote 'The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz,' also touting a naval blockade dubbed a 'wall of steel' (reported by Fox News, Al Jazeera, Washington Examiner, Euronews, Yahoo News). This was not an isolated remark but one he repeated multiple times, including a version claiming the US could effectively make the strait US territory. Independent reporting quickly pushed back: former US diplomat Richard Haass stated 'No one's in total control of the Strait of Hormuz' (The Hill). Iran's government also rejected the claim, with The Hill reporting Iran called Trump's assertions 'delusions' and said the US has no control over the waterway. CNN Business noted the claim is 'questionable' given continued Iranian attacks and oil flows still below pre-war levels, suggesting the US does not fully control the strait. An AP 'Fact Focus' piece (republished by the Baltimore Sun) examined competing US and Iranian claims of control, noting the Strait of Hormuz is legally an international waterway under UNCLOS where no state has sovereign claim to control passage, though I was not able to retrieve full details of AP's specific verdict due to a search tool error before completing verification.