White House: US working on plan to secure Hormuz Strait; dominance over Iran airspace expected ‘in the coming hours’

The US is working on plans to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid the war with Iran, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt says.

Leavitt says during a press briefing that Operation Epic Fury will ensure that “Iran will no longer be able to restrict the free flow of energy through a waterway that controls roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply.”

“As the Department of War said this morning, we expect to have complete and total dominance over Iranian airspace in the coming hours,” Leavitt says. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier today that the US and Israel would have total control of Iranian skies within the week.

Leavitt adds that the US has destroyed more than 20 Iranian ships, doubling the number from two days ago.

Asked about reports that the US is considering arming Kurdish fighters against Iran, Leavitt denies that this is the case, saying that Trump only spoke to Kurdish leaders recently about the American military base in northern Iraq.

While Leavitt doesn’t rule out the potential for US ground troops in Iran eventually, she says they are not part of the plan for the operation “at this time.”

She announces that Spain has agreed to cooperate with the US military after President Donald Trump tore into Madrid yesterday. But Spanish officials quickly deny that the country has changed its position regarding the war and that its bases will not be used as part of it.