{"id":64526,"date":"2026-07-09T17:38:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T21:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/u-s-centcom-rejects-irans-claims-of-control-over-strait-of-hormuz\/64526\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T17:38:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T21:38:15","slug":"u-s-centcom-rejects-irans-claims-of-control-over-strait-of-hormuz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/u-s-centcom-rejects-irans-claims-of-control-over-strait-of-hormuz\/64526\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. CENTCOM Rejects Iran\u2019s Claims of Control Over Strait of Hormuz"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) officially rejected Iranian state media claims<\/strong> that Tehran has restricted shipping to specific routes in the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>, asserting that Iran does not control the waterway.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Maritime traffic has ground to a near-standstill<\/strong> as of July 9, 2026, following two days of intensive tit-for-tat military strikes between the <strong>U.S.<\/strong> and <strong>Iran<\/strong>, leaving approximately <strong>6,000 seafarers stranded<\/strong> on hundreds of vessels.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/energy\/crude-oil\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"12\" title=\"Crude oil\">Oil prices<\/a> spiked approximately 7%<\/strong> this week, with <strong>WTI crude<\/strong> rising toward <strong>$75.30 per barrel<\/strong> after President Donald Trump declared the June 18 ceasefire memorandum &quot;over&quot; following Iranian attacks on commercial tankers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>U.S. forces have conducted strikes on nearly 100 targets<\/strong> within Iran over the last 48 hours, including air defense systems, coastal radar sites, and more than <strong>60 IRGC small boats<\/strong> to degrade Tehran&#39;s ability to disrupt international commerce.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Escalation in the Strait of Hormuz<\/h2>\n<p><strong>U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)<\/strong> issued a sharp rebuttal to Iranian media reports on Thursday, stating that claims of restricted passage through the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> are &quot;categorically false.&quot; The command emphasized that the waterway remains under international authority and that <strong>Tehran<\/strong> does not possess the legal or military control to dictate shipping routes. This statement follows an attempt by Iran\u2019s newly formed <strong>Persian Gulf Strait Authority<\/strong> to mandate that all commercial vessels use specific, Tehran-approved routes or face &quot;strict prohibition.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>The dispute centers on conflicting interpretations of the <strong>June 18 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)<\/strong>. While Iran argues the agreement grants it the right to manage &quot;arrangements for safe passage,&quot; the <strong>United States<\/strong> maintains that the strait must remain an open international trade corridor. In response to recent Iranian aggression, <strong>CENTCOM<\/strong> reported that its forces have supported the safe movement of more than <strong>800 commercial ships<\/strong> carrying roughly <strong>380 million barrels of crude oil<\/strong> since early May.<\/p>\n<h2>Military and Economic Impact<\/h2>\n<p>The security situation has deteriorated rapidly since July 7, when the <strong>U.S.<\/strong> launched a massive wave of airstrikes hitting over <strong>80 targets<\/strong> in southern Iran. These strikes were a direct response to Iranian drone and projectile attacks on three commercial tankers. On July 8, a second wave of strikes targeted an additional <strong>90 military sites<\/strong>, including command-and-control networks and anti-ship missile batteries. In retaliation, the <strong>Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)<\/strong> launched missiles and drones at <strong>U.S.<\/strong> military facilities in <strong>Bahrain<\/strong>, <strong>Kuwait<\/strong>, and <strong>Jordan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The renewed hostilities have effectively frozen one of the world&#39;s most vital energy chokepoints. Ship-tracking data from Bloomberg (<a href=\"\/stock\/BLP\">BLP<\/a>) shows that most observable traffic is now occurring only along the northern, Iran-approved routes, while the <strong>U.S.<\/strong>-supported <strong>Omani corridor<\/strong> remains largely empty. Many vessel operators have reportedly turned off their transponders to avoid detection, a practice that hasn&#39;t been seen at this scale since the height of the February 2026 conflict.<\/p>\n<h2>Market Reactions and Outlook<\/h2>\n<p>Global energy markets are reacting with high volatility to the collapse of the fragile truce. The <strong>U.S. Treasury Department<\/strong> has revoked oil sanctions waivers previously granted to Iran, further tightening global supply. Analysts at <strong>Argus Media<\/strong> noted that the resumption of direct military confrontation has reversed the downward trend in oil prices seen throughout June.<\/p>\n<p>While President Trump has suggested that talks could potentially continue, he warned of &quot;much worse&quot; consequences if Iran continues to target commercial shipping. The <strong>United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO)<\/strong> has advised all transit through the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> be avoided until safety conditions are restored. As of Thursday evening, the region remains on high alert, with the risk of a broader regional conflict reaching its highest point in months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) officially rejected Iranian state media claims that Tehran has restricted shipping to specific routes 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