The Battle for Hormuz - Iran Responds to Trump: "The Strait Will Not Be Opened"

Amid reports of a possible American attack on Iran, Tehran broadcasts a defiant message: the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until its demands are met. A Revolutionary Guards advisor claims full control over the strait, Iranian media mock Trump and present the maximum pressure as a failure. Alongside the defiance, indirect talks are taking place with Qatari mediation.

Amid reports that US President Trump is considering an attack on Iran before the midterm elections, Tehran broadcasts a defiant message: the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until its demands are met. An advisor to the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, claims the strait is under full control of Iranian forces, and that the volume of oil smuggled through alternative routes is negligible. He even threatens to tighten enforcement against these routes. Iranian media, including the newspaper "Kayhan" considered a mouthpiece of the regime, mock Trump and present the war as a political burden on him and the Republican Party. The newspaper "Hamshahri" declares an "economic counterattack" and claims that the maximum pressure has failed on three fronts: curbing currency fluctuations, supplying basic goods, and increasing oil sales. Alongside the defiance, Iran is also dealing with the possibility of further escalation. The news agency "Noor News" describes a "tense and complex" phase of the war, in which indirect negotiations are taking place with Qatari mediation alongside reports of American military preparations. There is a gap between the versions of what is happening in Hormuz: while Iran reports an increase in attacks on tankers and a decrease in vessel traffic, the US Central Command claims shipments continue to pass.