Trump keeps saying the US controls the Strait of Hormuz. Does it?

“Because of the proximity of US forces, because of the blockade, and because of Iran’s ability and willingness to at least threaten the use of mines and the use of small boats to harass vessels … neither side is really able to exercise full control over the strait.”Nearly half a year into the US-Iran war, global oil stockpiles are rapidly diminishing as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively stalled and the two powers at the center of the hostilities argue about who controls the critical waterway.

Both the US and Iran have tools in their arsenal to apply pressure on the other and to harness some control over the strait, which normally carries 20% of the world’s oil, and an even higher proportion of the natural gas that some nations are critically reliant on.