TEHRAN -- A senior Iranian lawmaker said on Saturday that planning to control the Strait of Hormuz dates back decades, and that Iran has no hesitation in confronting the United States, with the goal of pushing American forces out of the region entirely.
Esmaeil Kowsari, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said that he and other committee members had visited the Strait of Hormuz and observed the situation firsthand. 
“Our armed forces, especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are carrying out their mission with authority,” Kowsari said.
He said planning to control the Strait of Hormuz began in 1987, adding: “Since those years we had anticipated that we must take control of the Strait of Hormuz, and in this regard we have no hesitation in confronting the other side. Our goal is to completely remove America from the region.”
Kowsari also addressed restrictions imposed on Iran’s borders with Pakistan and Iraq, saying the enemy believes it can pressure the country economically by limiting border routes and cause shortages of needed goods. 
“During the eight-year sacred defense and afterward, we have identified alternative routes for supplying goods, and we know through which routes to meet the country’s needs,” he said.
Iran has maintained a tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz since the early days of the second U.S.-Israeli war, which began on Feb. 28, 2026, and halted in early April after Iran’s retaliatory operations forced a ceasefire. 
In July, the U.S. conducted waves of deadly air raids on Iran and imposed a naval blockade in violation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 17 to end the war. In response, the Iranian Armed Forces launched devastating strikes against strategic American targets across West Asia and declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all traffic.