Who Controls The Strait Of Hormuz? Iran Tables New Bill As Trump Claims US Is Its 'Guardian'

The move comes after Trump said the US would restart its naval blockade of Iran and take on a permanent role guarding the strait.

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The development comes hours after Iranian forces reportedly downed US drones.
NDTV

Iran's Parliament has formally introduced a bill titled the 'Strategic Action for the Security and Sustainable Progress of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf," a senior Iranian lawmaker said.

The development comes hours after Iranian forces reportedly downed US drones and as US President Donald Trump declared Washington would likely take over security of the strait.

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Ebrahim Azizi, Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said in a post on X that the bill was tabled "last night, coinciding with the downing of U.S. drones."

Azizi added, "We remain steadfast in defending our red lines, particularly regarding the management of the Strait of Hormuz," and said the legislation was "the first step," with "subsequent measures" to follow.

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The move comes after Trump said the US would restart its naval blockade of Iran and take on a permanent role guarding the strait, through which around a fifth of the world's oil and gas shipments pass.

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"We're going to keep the strait, and we'll probably run it. We'll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we'll call it the guardian angel of the strait," Trump said in a Fox News interview, adding that other nations benefiting from secure passage should reimburse Washington for the cost of protecting it.

ALSO READ: 'Be Guardian Of Lindsey Graham's Grave': Iran Takes Swipe At Trump Over Post On Hormuz

Azizi has for months pushed legislation asserting Iranian control over the waterway, previously outlining plans for a designated shipping route, tolls charged in Iranian rial, and a ban on vessels linked to Israel or the United States.

He has described the strait as Iran's "permanent asset" and a "power-building lever" that would remain under Iranian management even after the war ends.

Tehran has repeatedly rejected any US role in overseeing the strait.

Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the country's joint military command, has separately warned that Iran's armed forces would "respond forcefully" to any disruption of commercial and oil tanker traffic by American forces operating outside Iran's designated route without its authorisation.

The competing claims over Hormuz have derailed efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, with both sides trading strikes over the past several days and global oil prices swinging sharply amid the uncertainty.

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ALSO READ: 'US Will Take Over Hormuz, Will Get Paid For Guarding It,' Says Trump As Iran Tensions Worsen

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