Trump Claims “Total Control of the Strait” Is There a Fact Check?

Let’s do a series of fact checks on control of the strait.

Image Credit Initial source uncertain.

Truth Social Claim

Truth Social: Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know! The infighting is between the “Hardliners,” who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the “Moderates,” who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY! We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is “Sealed up Tight,” until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL!!! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP

Fact Checks

I am please to report “Fact Check True” on one item.

Q: What?
A: Yes, it is a confirmed fact that Trump said “We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz.”

Q: But Is his statement true?
A: No, that is another obvious lie.

If the US had control of the strait all non-Iranian-linked ships would be halted and all US-approved ships would enter and leave at will.

The US is mostly in control of a blockade of Iran-bound ships, not the strait itself.

Q: Mostly?
A: Yes, dozens of non-US-approved ships have gotten through

What About Iran’s Navy?

Truth Social: I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. There is to be no hesitation. Additionally, our mine “sweepers” are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP

Q: Can you be in control if you don’t know where the mines are?
A: No

Q: Can you be in control if you have not stopped the small boats?
A: No

Q: Are the small boats far more important than the large boats?
A: Yes

What About US Minesweepers?

While the administration claims the mines are being cleared, reports suggest that mine-clearing in the area is a slow, difficult process, with some assessments indicating it could take up to six months to fully secure the strait.

Did the US Decommission Minesweepers?

Yes, per Navy Times: The U.S. Navy decommissioned four of its last specialized Avenger-class minesweepers stationed in the Middle East between 2025 and early 2026.

These aging vessels (USS Devastator, Dextrous, Gladiator, and Sentry) were removed from service and sent for disposal, shifting to Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) equipped with drones for mine-countermeasure operations.

This transition has prompted concerns about the immediate ability to counter mines in the Persian Gulf, according to The Wall Street Journal and The Christian Science Monitor. 

Iran Made Minesweepers Great Again

The Wall Street Journal reports America Gave Up Some of Its Last Minesweepers. Then Iran Made Them Necessary Again.

The Strait of Hormuz could prove to be a testing ground for unmanned technology and AI in mine clearance.

The Navy hasn’t had a significant mine clearing capability in decades, former naval officers and analysts said. Now it faces having to deal with the risk of mines in one of the world’s most important waterways while the West’s thinking on how to deal with the seaborne threat is in flux.

Defense companies and navies, including in the U.S., are experimenting with unmanned technology and artificial intelligence that they believe will provide safer and more effective ways of clearing mines before they can do any damage. But while promising, limited amounts of that technology have been produced and it is largely untested in conflict.

“The U.S. Navy has neglected minesweeping, and our limited number of hulls will make it difficult to credibly escort oil tankers in a contested environment,” said Eliot Cohen, a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

I am pleased to report that Iran has provided the US an amazing opportunity to test out new minesweeper technology.

Q: Wait a second. Didn’t Trump announce “We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz”?
A: Yes, Fact Check True, as noted above.

In the Ridiculous Theories Department

Fact Check on Fertilizer

Q: Can we have a fact check on fertilizer?
A: Sure!

Q: “Do you have a plan to mitigate this fertilizer problem, Madame Secretary?” asked Fox News
A: “We have been every day now for almost 50 days having daily meetings in the White House,” said Brooke Rollins, Agriculture Secretary. “

Q: Good news?
A: “America has plenty of fertilizer,” said Rollins. … “I do want to jump back to the Biden administration.”

Q: “But what is the plan?” interrupted Fox News.
A: … a bunch of meaningless nonsense followed by “We have to re-shore back to America.”

The Biden Card

Biden Price Fact Check

I am pleased to provide these fact checks as a public service anouncment.

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Regarding market manipulation, please see Massive Insider Trading by the Trump Administration or Its Hot Connections

Details prove insider trading by Trump or his connections is not conjecture.

Regarding still more oil in yuan nonsense, please see What Does CFR’s Brad Setser Say About Petrodollar Myth and Reality?

“The glory days of the petrodollar are over,” says Brad Setser CFR fellow.

Oil is tiny relative to the $1.5 trillion surplus of “manufacturing Asia”—the buildup of dollars in the Chinese state banks and the buildup of offshore dollars in Hong Kong and Singapore from Chinese exporters drove the Eurodollar market.

The idea that pricing oil in yuan matters is ridiculous.

The idea that intervention in crude to protect bond prices that have barely moved for weeks no matter what oil has done is equally ridiculous.

But hey, constant hype sells.