Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Trump claims US has ‘total control’ over Hormuz, says Iran ‘the bully of the Mideast’ but ‘no longer’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSpeaking with reporters, US President Donald Trump stresses that he “doesn’t trust Iran.”
“Are you saying I trust Iran?! I’m the last person to trust Iran,” he insists. “They’ve lied to me constantly. We have total control over the Hormuz strait right now… we own it.”
“At some point maybe they’ll do something and get blown away, but right now we’re in a very good position,” Trump further claims. He describes the Islamic Republic as “the bully of the Middle East” since its founding in 1979, but “no longer.”
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