One hundred thirty-five days into the Iran War, hopes for a diplomatic end to the conflict appear to be fading fast. President Donald Trump declared Monday that “we’re taking over the Strait of Hormuz,” just one day after boasting that “we bombed the hell out of them.” Iran, meanwhile, made its own claim to control of the once-freely navigable waterway, following retaliatory strikes it launched against Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, and Oman.
The standoff over the strait intensified after Iran attacked a container ship there on Sunday. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital passage for international oil and gas shipments, and Iran has asserted authority over it since the United States and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28.
Mohammed Mokhber, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, made Tehran’s position clear in a post on X. “We defend it so that in the future, for the passage of our ships, we are not forced to pay tribute to the enemy!” he wrote. “Retreating from this vital matter has no place in the mind of any friend of Iran.”
Trump shared the U.S. stance during an appearance Monday on Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends.” He also revealed that an 11-hour meeting on Sunday had appeared to yield progress — “everything was agreed to” — but that Iranian negotiators later called back saying “they had to make a couple of changes.” Trump did not provide further details.
Back in Washington, Congress is resuming work following its summer break, but the Senate is doing so under the shadow of the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham. Graham died Saturday after suffering a tear in his aorta, leaving Republicans with only 51 Senate members. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Mitch McConnell is still recovering from his own health issues, and South Carolina’s governor must now appoint someone to fill Graham’s seat on an interim basis.
Graham’s passing adds more uncertainty to Trump’s already difficult congressional agenda. It also removes a significant voice of support for Ukraine. Graham had been a strong advocate for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, consistently pushing Trump to take a harder line against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Officials in Kyiv are now grappling with the loss of one of their most prominent American allies.
