Iran's top security official rebukes US claim of sovereignty over Strait of Hormuz

TEHRAN, Iran — The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezai, has rejected US assertions of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, saying Washington cannot lay claim to the waterway. In a post on social media, Rezai wrote: "Welcome to the post-American order in the Gulf." Rezai argued that the United States lacks the ability to keep the strait open and pointed to the roughly 7,000-mile distance between Washington and the waterway as evidence of an unfounded claim. His remarks come amid renewed debate in Washington over the strait's status. US President Donald Trump has previously suggested declaring the Strait of Hormuz "an area belonging to the United States" and asserted that Washington has "full control" over the chokepoint, through which a significant share of global oil shipments passes. The Washington Post reported that the US Department of Defense has been weighing options to reduce its military footprint in the Gulf, including potentially repositioning forces to Jordan, Israel or Saudi Arabia. No further details were immediately available on any shift in posture.