Netanyahu says Trump not shy of using force against Iran

US Central Command on Sunday rejected an Iranian commander’s claim that foreign vessels could not pass through the Strait of Hormuz without being identified, tracked and monitored by Iran’s forces.

CENTCOM said Iran did not control the Strait of Hormuz and that it remained an international waterway.

It said US forces were positioned and prepared to keep the waterway open.

Iran’s recently created Persian Gulf Strait Authority said on Sunday that transit through the Strait of Hormuz was not possible at present, citing what it called "recent illegal movements" by US military forces in the region.

The authority said on its X account that requests for passage would be reviewed and permits issued according to schedule once stability and calm were restored.

The statement came shortly after US Central Command said the Strait of Hormuz remained open and that traffic was flowing through the international waterway.

US Central Command said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz remained open to vessels seeking lawful transit, adding that Iran did not control the international waterway.

“US forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations,” CENTCOM said.

It said US forces had facilitated the transit of more than 800 ships and over 400 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two months.

CENTCOM said more than 140 ships had transited the strait in the past seven days, adding: “Traffic is flowing.”

Kuwait’s army said on Sunday that its explosives inspection and disposal team was handling shrapnel and explosive remnants in the Subhan area.

The General Staff said the operation would take place from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. local time.

It said any explosion sounds heard during that period would be caused by the disposal of the remnants and explosives.

Power restrictions on Iranian industrial units have increased to two days a week, the secretary-general of Iran’s House of Industry, Mine and Trade said on Sunday, warning the curbs may expand further.

Arman Khaleghi told ISNA that the limits on electricity supply could, as in previous years, extend from the evening to midnight.

He said a proposal had been made to count the blackout days as official holidays for production units to offset part of the losses caused by the power restrictions.

Khaleghi said the proposal had not yet been implemented.