India summons Iranian diplomats after strike kills Indian sailor in Strait of Hormuz
An Indian sailor was killed and six others got injured after a strike by Iran on the UAE oil tankers on Tuesday.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran’s military leadership has been wiped out and announced plans to restore an Iranian maritime blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting an immediate rebuttal from Tehran as tensions between the two countries escalated following fresh weekend strikes.
The latest exchange combines military claims with a new US proposal to control shipping through one of the world’s most strategically important waterways. Iran has rejected Washington’s assertions on both fronts, insisting it remains the rightful guardian of the Strait of Hormuz.
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Trump claims Iran’s military leadership has been eliminated
Speaking during an interview with Fox News on Monday, Trump said recent US and Israeli military operations had destroyed Iran’s military capabilities.
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“They have no navy. They have no air force. It’s all gone. Their anti-aircraft is gone. Their leaders have all been killed,” Trump said.
The US President further claimed that Iran’s senior military commanders had been eliminated during the campaign.
“Their best leaders have been killed. They’re gone. Khomeini is gone,” Trump said, apparently referring to Ali Khamenei, whom he said was killed during the initial phase of US-Israeli strikes earlier this year.
Trump also claimed that Mojtaba Khamenei, widely seen as the late Iranian leader’s likely successor, was “90% gone”.
Mojtaba Khamenei is reportedly recovering from serious injuries sustained in an earlier airstrike and did not attend the funeral ceremonies held in Iran and Iraq earlier this month.
US proposes new Strait of Hormuz blockade
The remarks came after Washington and Tehran exchanged fresh missile strikes over the weekend.
Trump also announced that the United States would reimpose what he described as an “Iranian blockade” while introducing charges for commercial vessels using the Strait of Hormuz under US protection.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US military would act as the “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait”.
“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait,” he wrote.
Trump also proposed a reimbursement charge equal to 20 per cent of the value of cargo transported through the strategic waterway, arguing that countries benefiting from US security operations should help bear the cost.
Iran rejects Trump’s proposal
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed the proposal and rejected Washington’s claim to oversee security in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is, of course, too much. We will be fair,” Araghchi wrote on social media.
The exchange reflects a fresh escalation in the standoff between Washington and Tehran, with both governments asserting competing claims over the security and administration of the Strait of Hormuz while military tensions continue in the Gulf.
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