DUBAI — The head of Iran's Basij paramilitary unit, Hossein Taeb, declared Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz is "under Iran's control and management," according to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency.
Taeb's remarks directly countered a statement made a day earlier by President Trump, who had posted on his Truth Social platform that the United States held "total control" of the strategic waterway.
The exchange unfolded as more than 30 countries, including France, Britain and Canada, issued a joint statement condemning Iran's use of capital punishment, saying Iran is executing protesters in an effort to "silence dissent."
The coalition, which also included the European Union's top diplomat, said it strongly condemned "the ongoing executions of protesters and use of the death penalty" by Iran, and that capital punishment used to suppress dissent "can never be justified."
Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Italy and Germany were among the other nations that joined the call. The statement urged Iran "to immediately end the use of the death penalty and release all those arbitrarily detained."
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, dismissed the criticism. He posted on X that countries like France "should stop lecturing the world about 'human rights' and international law," calling their stance "hypocrisy."
Araghchi said the backing of "Israel's genocide in Gaza — and aggression against Iran — has destroyed whatever moral high ground you imagined you had."
The joint statement reflects growing alarm from the United Nations and human rights organizations, which have recorded a surge in executions in Iran in recent months following nationwide anti-government protests and the start of the Middle East war in February.
Separately, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Wednesday condemned what he called Israel's "systematic destruction" in the country's south, describing the actions as a violation of international law.
Salam said Israeli "attacks, incursions, demolitions and the systematic destruction of homes," infrastructure, government buildings and places of worship "represent a serious violation of the principles and rules of international law and international humanitarian law."
He rejected Israel's claim that villages and towns are "entirely 'military facilities,'" saying this does not justify destroying them, displacing inhabitants or preventing their return.
Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz visited southern Lebanon on Wednesday and vowed to maintain troops in a "security zone" there. Katz said the Israeli military was "destroying the underground infrastructure" in the area and "destroying all the houses."
