Iran has rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that he could soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory, insisting that the strategic waterway will remain under Iranian control.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Saturday that Tehran considers the strait an integral part of its territory and will determine when it is opened or closed.
“The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian,” Gharibabadi said on X.
“This strait will only be closed and opened under Iran’s command.”
Trump made the claim at a political rally in New York state on Friday, saying that after the United States defeats Iran, he would “pretty soon” declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States.
“It’s true,” Trump added.
However, an unnamed White House official later told the Wall Street Journal that Trump was joking.
Iran sets conditions for reopening strait
The confrontation comes as diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran remain stalled, with the strategic waterway at the centre of the dispute.
Last week, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a senior Iranian official, outlined conditions for reopening the strait. They included an end to what Tehran described as the “war and aggression” against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.
He also demanded the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets and compensation for wartime damage.
Shipping attacks continue
Tensions around the waterway have also continued to affect regional shipping.
The United Arab Emirates’ state-owned oil company ADNOC said on Saturday that one of its vessels was attacked the previous night.
The Gulf state had on Friday accused Iran of attacking two other vessels linked to ADNOC while they were passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has effectively restricted traffic through the waterway since the start of the Middle East war in late February, while its Houthi allies in Yemen have announced a parallel maritime blockade targeting Saudi ports in the Red Sea.
The United States has also imposed a retaliatory blockade of Iranian ports in an effort to pressure Tehran economically.
“We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to,” Trump said on Friday.
Hormuz remains critical to global energy markets
Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports, making disruptions to the waterway a major threat to international energy supplies.
The dispute has contributed to repeated increases in energy prices, adding economic pressure on the Trump administration ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Iran has indicated that it wants greater control over the waterway and could seek to impose tolls on shipping — measures Washington is expected to strongly oppose.
A June agreement between Washington and Tehran had envisaged Iran and Oman discussing future arrangements for the strait with other Gulf states and in accordance with international law.
Tehran later said it had reached an understanding with Oman on a route for ships to transit the waterway, with arrangements for jointly managing the passage still being finalised.
