Overview
- U.S. Central Command reported that an MH-60 helicopter fired missiles to disable a Panama-flagged cargo ship and that U.S. forces have redirected dozens of vessels to enforce a naval blockade of Iranian ports, with CENTCOM saying 59 redirects, three disabled and two boarded as of August 12.
- President Donald Trump publicly declared U.S. “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz and said Washington is prepared to use force to keep access open.
- Iran rejected the U.S. claim, with Mohsen Rezaei and other Iranian officials saying the strait will not fully reopen until the U.S. lifts the blockade and sanctions, releases frozen assets, pays reparations and agrees to a wider ceasefire.
- Commercial traffic through Hormuz has collapsed to single- or low-double-digit daily transits, trade trackers show, while separate Houthi attacks in the Bab al-Mandeb have killed crew and rescuers and widened the maritime crisis.
- Mediators from Oman, Qatar and Pakistan continue fragile talks to find routing or corridor arrangements, but hardened demands on sequencing and enforcement leave the standoff unresolved and keep pressure on shipping, insurance and global energy markets.