Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: Strait of Hormuz Fully Under Iran's Control
Jakarta — CNBC Indonesia reports that on Wednesday (4 February 2026) the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had full control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage for oil and gas shipments. The Iranian military warned that any vessel attempting to traverse the waterway could be damaged by stray missiles or drones. Iran had previously claimed to have closed the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. ‘The Strait of Hormuz is now under full control of the Islamic Republic’s Navy,’ IRGC Navy official Mohammad Akbarzadeh said in a statement released by Fars News Agency. Earlier, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US Navy is ready to escort oil tankers through this critical Gulf shipping lane. ‘If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tanker ships through the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible,’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, as quoted by AFP. Trump also ordered Washington to provide an insurance scheme for commercial shipments. The statement briefly calmed markets, with US shares trimming losses even as crude prices rose. Trump also defended joint US-Israeli actions against Iran, denying that Tel Aviv had pressured him to act, and claiming the move was to prevent a pre-emptive strike by Tehran. ‘I think they (Iran) will strike first. And I do not want that to happen,’ he told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the Oval Office. ‘So, if anything, I may have forced Israel to act,’ he said. However, he did not detail plans for the post-conflict political landscape in Iran. He even said ‘most of the people we considered have died’, referring to the uncertainty of leadership after the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the weekend attack. One of the main aims of the operation, according to Trump, is to halt Iran’s nuclear programme. An unnamed senior US official said Iran is effectively waiting to have a nuclear weapon.