TEHRAN — Iranian Armed Forces Spokesperson Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi has rejected recent US claims about operations in the Strait of Hormuz, insisting that Iran continues to hold the initiative in the strategic waterway.

Speaking on Saturday, Shekarchi dismissed as “false” and “ridiculous” a claim by the commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) that American forces had facilitated the movement of more than one billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two months.

The Iranian commander described the US statements as a failed psychological operation rather than an accurate reflection of developments in the waterway.

Shekarchi said the remarks were intended to bolster the morale of the “exhausted and worn-out” US military personnel stationed in the region and to justify the substantial financial and human costs incurred by Washington through its regional military presence.

He further argued that such statements would not alter the reality of the “expulsion” of the US military from the region.

“The initiative in the Strait of Hormuz remains in the hands of Iran’s powerful Armed Forces,” Shekarchi said.

His comments came after US Navy Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM, said in a statement posted on X that US forces had facilitated the transportation of more than one billion barrels of oil through the strategic waterway over the previous two months.

Cooper also claimed US forces had provided protection for more than 2,000 commercial vessels during the period.

According to the CENTCOM commander, the main transit lanes in the Strait of Hormuz had also been cleared of mines, allowing thousands of vessels to pass through the waterway.

The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, is one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints and a major artery for global energy supplies.