Iran Rejects Trump’s Strait of Hormuz Claim as ‘Fake Intelligence’

“Worse than fake news is fake intelligence”

Iran says it still controls the Strait of Hormuz

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected President Donald Trump’s claim that the US has complete control of the Strait of Hormuz, calling it “fake intelligence.”

Writing on X on August 13, Araghchi said the US has long misjudged Iran because of intelligence failures, citing war with Iran as a prime example. He added that Washington is now making an even bigger miscalculation over the Strait of Hormuz.

In an apparent reference to Trump’s remarks that the US has fully secured the waterway, Araghchi wrote, “Worse than fake news is fake intelligence. Be careful.”

Hossein Taeb, commander of Iran’s Basij militia, also said the Strait of Hormuz remains under Iran’s control and management. Fars News Agency, a semi-official outlet, quoted Taeb as saying the US tried to provoke another war in the strait to undermine Iran’s regional support.

He also said the US had claimed Iran had no air force or navy, yet had once again failed. “Today, you can see that the Strait of Hormuz is under the management and control of the Islamic Republic,” Taeb said. “Iran has a complete security posture and will continue on its path.”

Trump wrote on Truth Social a day earlier that the US has “complete control” of the Strait of Hormuz and would keep it that way. He also claimed Iran has no navy or air force, that its remaining soldiers are not being paid, and that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, has been destroyed and is fleeing.

He added that Iran’s leadership is, “to put it nicely, in an uncertain state.”

Trump also said Iran has no money left and that the country is broken. “All they have left is fake news and 300% inflation, and it’s going to get worse,” he wrote.

Park Su-bin, Hankyung.com reporter waterbean@hankyung.com