Iran says it has no choice but to assert control over Hormuz

The statement follows an unconfirmed Iranian claim that US forces struck its Konark naval base.

Iran's government said today it has no choice but to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz, repeating a position it has held since late September.

The statement follows Iran's navy saying that US forces struck its Konark base, a claim Washington has not confirmed. It also comes after Iran's foreign minister Araghchi said Iran and Russia discussed possible talks with the US and the future of the strait.

Iran's military leadership has said the waterway stays shut until its conditions are met, and an IRGC navy chief has separately vowed to target approaching US vessels. Tanker traffic through the strait remains depressed by mines, fires and a sinking, after a string of incidents over the past two weeks, including three supertanker hits, a container ship sinking, mine strikes and a drone attack, that have pushed transit far below the roughly 125-vessel pre-conflict daily average.

Each prior reopening proposal, including Araghchi's offer of a six-day window with talks resuming on the seventh day, has lapsed without an accepted framework. By reasserting control rather than negotiating a reopening, Iran keeps crude oil's existing risk premium supported and extends the blockade standoff that has stalled every previous attempt at a deal.