The Strait of Hormuz is “under Iran’s control and management”, the head of Iran’s Basij paramilitary unit, Hossein Taeb, said on Thursday, according to the semi-official Fars news agency, directly challenging US President Donald Trump’s claim that Washington has “total control” of the strategic waterway.

Taeb’s remarks come as tensions between Tehran and Washington remain high over the status of the strait, a crucial maritime route linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

“The Strait of Hormuz is under the management and control of the Islamic Republic,” Taeb said, adding that Iran was continuing on its course in complete security.

He said the United States had sought to disrupt what he described as the Islamic Republic’s popularity and influence in the region by launching another war in the Strait of Hormuz, but had once again been defeated despite US claims that Iran had neither an air force nor a navy.

The comments came a day after Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that the United States had “total control” of the waterway and indicated that Washington intended to retain that position.