Iran said the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil shipping route, is under the Islamic Republic's control and management, escalating a public war of words with the United States over the strategic waterway. Hossein Taeb, head of Iran's Basij paramilitary unit, said Iran remained on its course in complete security and argued the United States had tried to undermine what he described as the country's regional popularity by launching another war in the strait, but had been defeated again. His remarks, reported by the semi-official Fars news agency, followed comments a day earlier from U.S. President Donald Trump, who wrote on Truth Social that the United States had "total control" of the Strait of Hormuz.