Trump says U.S. hit Iran very hard and the Strait of Hormuz is open

By Kerry Picket - The Washington Times - Sunday, July 12, 2026

President Trump said Sunday that the U.S. hit Iran “very hard” Saturday night after the regime attacked a ship with a drone.

“We had a deal with them yesterday. They were giving up everything,” Mr. Trump said of Iranian leaders when asked about the status of the Strait of Hormuz on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“Then, all of a sudden, two hours after that, they hit a ship with a drone. And I said, ‘These people, there’s something wrong with them,” he added.

The president used most of his interview to speak about Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly Saturday night after speaking with Mr. Trump on the phone. Mr. Trump did not talk much about the activity in the Strait of Hormuz, saying it is “open as far as we’re concerned,” despite Tehran declaring otherwise.

U.S. Central Command said Sunday the Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to “lawfully transit” and insisted that Iran does not control the waterway, despite recent strikes on commercial ships.

CENTCOM, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, posted on social media that its “forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression.”

“Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing,” CENTCOM posted on X.

Mr. Trump followed up CENTCOM’s comments later Sunday, telling NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the strait is open for commercial traffic.

He added that Tehran agreed to a peace deal that included “no nuclear, no this, no that, no nothing,” after the U.S. military attacked Iran overnight.

• Vaughn Cockayne contributed to this report.