US: Iran state media reports on retaliatory closure of Hormuz are false

By Jacob Magid

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8 April 2026, 9:28 pm

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Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt departs after speaking with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, April 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The White House claims that Iranian state media reporting that Tehran has closed off the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for Israel’s strikes in Lebanon is false.

“This is a case of what they’re saying publicly is different. Privately, we have seen an uptick of traffic in the Strait today,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt says during a press briefing.

“The president’s expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately, quickly and safely,” she continues. “It has been relayed to him privately that that is what’s taking place and these reports… are false.”