Donald Trump has said the United States will “take over” the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions with Iran as fighting between the two countries entered its 135th day.
Speaking to Fox News, the US president said America would become the “guardian angel” of the MIddle Eastern shipping route and suggested the US should be paid for controlling it.
Trump did not explain how this would happen or who would provide the funding.
The comments came after another night of US strikes on Iran. The Pentagon said it targeted dozens of sites using fighter jets, naval vessels and one-way attack sea drones for the first time.
Iran responded by claiming it had launched missiles and drones at US military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. Missile alarms sounded in Bahrain, while reports said air defence systems were activated in Jordan and Kuwait.
Iran’s military also rejected Trump’s remarks, insisting the Strait of Hormuz remained under its control.
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A military spokesperson warned that Iran would “not allow the United States to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz” and said any country supporting US operations in the area would be viewed as committing “an act of war”.
The latest exchange has raised fresh concerns over one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, through which around a fifth of global oil supplies pass.
Shipping traffic through the strait has already slowed significantly, with tracking data showing just six vessels crossed on the previous day, the lowest number in five weeks.
Meanwhile, the latest disruption from the conflict has seen oil prices rise by more than 4 per cent.
The UK, France and Germany jointly condemned Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping and called for the restoration of a ceasefire and a return to negotiations.
Meanwhile, the UK government has formally proscribed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), making it a criminal offence to support or assist the organisation under new national security legislation.
The conflict also spread to Yemen, where Houthi rebels accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport after an Iranian aircraft attempted to land, with the group warning the attack could end the fragile ceasefire in the country.
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