CNN: Iran in Control of Strait of Hormuz

By Staff, Agencies

Almost a month after the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down, the United States faces a mounting strategic dilemma, grappling with Iran’s geographic and military leverage, a global energy crisis, and a president whose statements have become increasingly erratic and contradictory.

The Strait of Hormuz, the central battleground of the US-"Israeli" war on Iran since February 28, gives Iran a clear advantage. At just 24 miles wide at its narrowest, nearly all maritime traffic is forced through two tight lanes, making it a uniquely unforgiving chokepoint.

"In the open ocean, there is always the option of re-routing; in a chokepoint or narrow sea, that option is impossible," said Kevin Rowlands, journal editor at the Royal United Services Institute and former head of the UK's Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre.

"That means that Iran doesn't necessarily need to seek out and find its targets. It can sit and wait," he told CNN.

This effectively creates what Rowlands describes as a "kill zone," in which the warning time for an incoming attack can be mere seconds. Nick Childs, senior fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies [IISS], echoed the assessment to CNN, describing the strait as "a uniquely challenging one, because there are no alternatives."

Iran’s geography strengthens its advantage, with nearly 1,000 miles of Gulf coastline enabling mobile missile launches that are hard to detect. Rugged terrain and offshore cover further complicate targeting, while drones, mines, and fast-attack vessels create a persistent threat that is nearly impossible to fully eliminate, Childs told CNN.

Iranian officials had repeatedly affirmed that the Strait of Hormuz remained closed to the United States, "Israel", and their allies, but open to non-hostile vessels not involved in the ongoing US-"Israeli" aggression on Iran.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran’s control was a legal right and told UN chief Antonio Guterres the crisis stemmed from their actions, urging condemnation of the aggressors, while framing the strait as leverage to enforce future commitments.

Against this backdrop, the Trump administration’s stance was marked by contradiction, with Trump claiming diplomatic progress Iran denied, declaring the war “won” while escalating deployments, and reversing key threats and pauses.

He also downplayed the Strait of Hormuz’s importance, saying the US did not “need” it and was largely immune due to domestic oil wealth.

Trump’s claims that the US is “not affected” by the Strait of Hormuz closure contrast sharply with the deployment of thousands of Marines, naval escort plans for tankers, soaring global energy prices, and the economic fallout from near-total Gulf energy shutdowns.