Trump claims U.S. controls Hormuz ‘100%’ as Iran talks stall

A week after the Trump administration predicted an imminent deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, negotiations have collapsed into mutual demands for compensation, with Iran issuing six sweeping preconditions and President Donald Trump declaring Monday that the waterway is already "open now" under exclusive US Navy control — a claim the New York Times called false and aimed at downplaying the war's severity.reason+1

Iran's Six Demands

On Saturday, Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, the outgoing secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, listed conditions the US must meet before Tehran will restore free navigation: never threaten Iran, permanently end the war against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq, lift the naval blockade and withdraw US forces, pay full war damages, lift sanctions, and unconditionally release frozen Iranian assets.time+1

"Until America corrects its behavior, the Strait of Hormuz will not open," Zolqadr's statement read. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that a separate deal with Oman to define new shipping lanes was in its "final stages" but would not itself constitute a reopening.reuters+1

The demands arrived days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on August 4 that "we may have a deal today or tomorrow." Trump told Axios on Sunday that Washington is now "only semi-negotiating" with Iran and "just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money."reason+1

Trump's Counter-Claims

Speaking to reporters Monday while signing an executive order, Trump declared, "We cleared the mines from the entire Strait of Hormuz" and said the US controls the waterway "100%." He counter-demanded compensation from Iran, writing on Truth Social that he had "instructed my negotiation representatives to definitely include this issue in all future negotiations."royanews+2

Asked about further escalation, Trump said, "You'll find out."israelnationalnews

Yet data tells a different story. According to the commodities firm Kpler, only 32 ships transited the strait over the weekend — down from 138 vessels per day before the war began on February 28. Oil flows stood at roughly 5 million barrels Friday, a fraction of the pre-war 20 million barrels per day, according to Commodity Context.time+1

A War Without an Exit

The Wall Street Journal News Corp ↗ 0.52% reported that Trump has privately signaled willingness to end the conflict without a nuclear deal if the strait fully reopens, and has told aides that Iran likely cannot rebuild its destroyed nuclear facilities during his presidency. But analysts say even that diminished goal now appears out of reach.abna24

"Iran's recent and tough demands make it increasingly difficult for the President to create a dignified exit from this conflict," said the director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as quoted by the Journal. CNN analyst David Sanger said Monday that Iranian leaders "sense that President Trump wants a way out" and that the US is "running out of munitions, running out of options, and fundamentally running out of patience."turkiyetoday+1

Meanwhile, the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell below 300 million barrels for the first time since 1983, and an Iranian parliamentary adviser declared Tehran would "accompany him until his term ends" in 2029 if its demands are not met.gulte