By Desmond Nleya
US President Donald Trump says the situation with Iran is “going fine” and claims US forces are now in “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz.
The remarks come amid heightened tensions over the strategic waterway, with Iran maintaining that the strait will remain closed until the US ends its war and blockade, releases frozen Iranian assets and agrees to a regional ceasefire.
US forces have also fired two Hellfire missiles at the steering gear of a Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to sail towards an Iranian port after reportedly ignoring warnings.
Meanwhile, Qatar says negotiations between Oman and Iran over the future of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are making significant progress.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has also arrived in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials as part of efforts to mediate an end to the conflict and facilitate the reopening of the strategic waterway.
Separately, Yemen’s Houthis claim they targeted a Saudi ship carrying military equipment in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
