Trump says US will ‘control’ Strait of Hormuz, warns Iran of stronger military response

U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States would take control of the Strait of Hormuz and oversee security in the strategically important waterway, adding that Washington would be compensated for providing its protection.

Speaking to the media, Trump said, “We are taking control of the Strait of Hormuz. We will become its guardians, and we will be paid for monitoring and protecting it.”

Commenting on Iran, the U.S. president accused Tehran of violating a previous agreement. “We had a deal with Iran, but they broke it. They are a group of bad people,” he said.

Trump also claimed that U.S. forces had launched heavy strikes on Iranian targets the previous night, saying much of Iran’s military equipment, including anti-aircraft guns, had been destroyed.

He warned that any future drone attacks by Iran would be met with a forceful response. “Whenever they launch drone attacks, we will hit them very hard,” he said.

Trump further alleged that Iran repeatedly breaks agreements, adding that the United States would now respond more aggressively. He reiterated that Washington intended to maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz, saying, “We will keep the Strait of Hormuz, and perhaps we will be the ones running it.”

The conflict between the United States and Iran intensified as both sides exchanged fresh missile and drone attacks. 

Iran claimed it launched missile and drone strikes targeting US military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar and Oman. 

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the attacks were in response to recent US military operations and warned that further action would follow if US continued its campaign.

Iranian state media also reported that the country's army targeted US positions in Kuwait and claimed to have shot down a US drone over Bandar Abbas, although those claims have not been independently verified.