US Vows to Retake Control of Strait of Hormuz, Escalating Iran Tensions

He said that while individual deals have been cut by countries to cross the Strait of Hormuz, eventually the US would regain control over it either through American escorts or a multinational escort.

He told Fox News, "The market is well supplied and we are seeing more and more ships go through on a daily basis as individual countries cut deals with the Iranian regime for the time being. over time, the US is going to retake control of the straits and there will be freedom of navigation, whether it is through US escorts or a multinational escort."

His remarks come against a backdrop of heightened global concern over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for nearly one-fifth of world oil flows.

Also on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an interview with ABC News, said that the United States has caused significant damage to Iran's navy and defence industrial base. He added that US President Trump would not allow Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz in "perpetuity", underlining that the country is going to achieve its objectives in a matter of weeks.

Speaking to ABC News, Rubio said, "We are destroying Iran's navy. We are destroying their missile launchers by a significant percentage. We're going to wipe out their defense industrial base, meaning their ability to make new missiles and new drones in the future, because it poses a great threat to the region. This Iran that you're seeing now, this is Iran at its weakest point."

Speaking about the Strait of Hormuz, the US Secretary of State added that President Trump has several options on the table to prevent Iran's hegemony over the straits.

"Now, they (Iran) are making threats about controlling the Hormuz Straits in perpetuity, creating a tolling system and the like. That's not going to be allowed to happen. And the president has a number of options available to him if he so chooses to prevent that from happening. "

Rubio further noted, "The Department of War would be in charge of those things... There is a way forward here to achieve our objectives. We are going to achieve our objectives in a matter of weeks, not months."

As per Press TV, Baghaei said during a press conference, "It seems quite natural that when the US raises the issues of negotiations and diplomacy, sensitivities will be increased. It is not clear how much, even inside the US, the country's claims about diplomacy and negotiations are seriously taken into account. Reactions and reflections also show that the extent of global trust in the US claims in the field of diplomacy is very limited".

He slammed the US and said that Iran, while Washington's stance has been constantly changing, Tehran has had a clear stance on the negotiations.

The Foreign Ministry Spokesperson emphasised that Iran did not participate in a four-sided meeting in Islamabad on Saturday hosted by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt.

His remarks come after the Financial Times had reported that US President Donald Trump claimed that indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran, facilitated by Pakistani intermediaries, are making "positive progress".

The developments come as Trump has threatened to target Iran's civilian energy infrastructure, including power plants, oil wells and Kharg Island, if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

In a social media post, Trump said, "Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately 'Open for Business,' we will conclude our lovely 'stay' in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island."

He noted that Washington is engaging in "serious discussions" with a "new and more reasonable" leadership in Tehran to bring an end to US military operations, a conflict that has lasted more than a month amid escalating regional tensions.

The president urged Iran to ensure that the waterway is "Open for Business", tying the resumption of maritime traffic directly to progress in talks aimed at ending hostilities.

The developments come as the conflict between the US-Israel and Iran has now entered into its second month, with an escalated security situation in West Asia and the Gulf region.

- ANI