IRGC Navy Claims 'Decisive Control' of Strait of Hormuz; White House Insists Blockade Stays Active, No Talks Underway

The IRGC Navy issued a statement asserting 'the dominance of the fighters of Islam over this strategic waterway is completely decisive' and that 'with all power and in complete authority, the Strait of Hormuz is closed to all ships that intend to transit without coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran,' accusing US officials of 'lying' about the strait's status to manipulate energy prices — a direct rebuttal of CENTCOM's Aug 27-28 mine-clearing and shipping-lane announcement. The White House told Al Jazeera the American naval blockade remains fully active and reiterated the strait is open and cleared of mines, while confirming Washington is holding no talks with Tehran. Iran's government separately said it would 'stand firm against US sanctions' and continue to rely 'equally on diplomacy and defence' to protect its interests, marking the six-month anniversary of the war (which began Feb 28) with both sides making flatly contradictory claims about control of the world's most important oil chokepoint.