The Strait of Hormuz is only closed to US and Israeli ships, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with MS NOW on Saturday.
Other ships are free to pass, although many prefer not to due to “security concerns,” which Araghchi claimed have nothing to do with Iran. He added that currently there are “many tankers and ships that are passing through the Strait of Hormuz.”
This comes after US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the US, along with several other countries affected by “Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait,” would be sending warships to keep the Strait “open and safe.”
In the post, Trump listed China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK as examples of countries affected by the closure, expressing hope that they would send ships to the area.
Araghchi says everything is under control amid claims of instability within regime
Araghchi also responded to claims made by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was wounded and likely disfigured, saying that “there is no problem with the supreme leader.”
“He sent his message yesterday and will perform his duties - he is performing his duties according to the constitution and will continue to do that,” Araghchi added.
Araghchi also emphasized that the Islamic Republic was well-established and not reliant on any one person, and that any loss of individuals could be weathered by the system.
“Everything is under control,” Araghchi said.
Later in the day, Trump claimed he was hearing that Mojtaba Khamenei was not alive, "and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that's surrender," Trump told NBC News.
Araghchi claims US negotiators may have misunderstood him due to lack of knowledge
Araghchi also denied claims that he shouted at US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, threatening that Iran had the uranium for 11 nuclear bombs during the last negotiation talks in Geneva.
He explained that he had only been speaking about the potential of Iran’s 440 kilos of 60% enriched uranium, which, if enriched further, could be enough to create 10 bombs, to emphasize how big a concession Iran was offering.
Araghchi suggested that perhaps US negotiators had misinterpreted that “because of the lack of enough knowledge” or “their intentions to justify the act of aggression, which cannot be justified,” and added that he hoped the true story of the negotiations would come out.