Trump Claims Full US Control of Strait of Hormuz After Navy Minesweep, Vows Compensation Demand on Iran

President Trump declared on August 10 that the US Navy has minesweept the entire Strait of Hormuz and that only the United States holds control of the critical waterway, which Iran has effectively kept closed since fighting began in late February 2026. "It's open now," Trump said, adding that Washington retains the ability to escalate against Iran and will seek financial compensation for damage Iran has caused across the Middle East. Trump also signed an executive order extending a limited waiver of US shipping law to keep oil flowing domestically amid the ongoing conflict.

The declarations came as Iran and Oman reported being in the "final stages" of negotiations over new shipping routes through the strait, with Iran's Foreign Ministry insisting that future management of the waterway, including minesweeping, was assigned to Tehran under a proposed memorandum of understanding. The competing claims highlight a sharp dispute over who governs passage through the strait, through which roughly a fifth of global oil supply transits. Bloomberg separately reported Trump signaling restraint toward Iran even as he maintained the threat of further escalation, a posture consistent with behind-the-scenes pressure from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, who has privately urged the administration to find an off-ramp from the war.