HuffPost reports that President Donald Trump pushed back against questions about the Strait of Hormuz during a phone interview on CNN’s State of the Union. Host Jake Tapper pressed Trump on the status of the vital maritime route after reports emerged that Iran had declared it closed to all ship traffic. Tapper had also asked whether the United States was effectively back at war with Iran.
When Tapper asked whether Iran had declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, Trump replied, “It’s open as far as we’re concerned. Don’t talk about it. Talk about the reason that you asked me to speak.” Trump initially said he did not want to discuss the situation out of respect for Senator Lindsey Graham, who had passed away the previous night.
Despite asking to avoid the subject, Trump immediately returned to the topic of Iran. He said, “We hit them very hard last night. So, I don’t want to talk about it, but I will say we hit them very hard last night.”
The military escalation behind Trump’s comments, and why the strait matters to global energy supply
Trump added that a deal had been in place with Iran where they were purportedly giving up everything, but that two hours later they struck a ship with a drone. Trump said, “And I said, ‘These people, there’s something wrong with them.’ But I’m talking about a man who had nothing wrong with him, and that’s Lindsey Graham.”
The military tension stems from events that took place on Saturday. According to a statement from the United States military posted on X, the US launched renewed airstrikes against Iran following an Iranian strike on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz. That attack left the ship on fire and resulted in one US civilian crew member going missing.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard announced on Saturday that it had closed the waterway to all traffic until further notice. The Guard stated it would remain closed until the United States ends its intervention in the region, according to Iranian state news outlet PressTV. The Strait of Hormuz is a critical passage for the global supply of oil and natural gas.
Both sides have been sending conflicting messages about the status of the strait since the announcement. Trump disputed the Iranian claim consistently across his Sunday television appearances, including on NBC’s Meet the Press in addition to his CNN interview.
While Trump used his television appearances to pay tribute to Senator Graham, he frequently shifted focus to the SAVE America Act and directed criticism at Democrats and the media. The remarks about the strait came within that broader context of Sunday morning interviews.
Trump did not elaborate on the current diplomatic or military position of the United States beyond asserting that the strait remains open “as far as we’re concerned” and confirming that strikes had taken place the previous night. Iran says the strait is currently closed, and before the ceasefire, it allowed ships to pass for a price.
Published: Jul 13, 2026 08:45 am