Iran fires back At Trump’s threat To declare Hormuz US territory

Iran on Saturday rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory, insisting that the strategic waterway “will remain Iranian.”

Trump has repeatedly said the strait, which Tehran effectively closed at the start of the Middle East war in late February, is under US control. Iran, however, has rejected the claim.

“The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in a post on X.

“This strait will only be closed and opened under Iran’s command,” he added.

Trump had made the remark at a political rally in New York state on Friday, saying that after the US defeated Iran, he would “pretty soon” declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory. An unnamed White House official later clarified that Trump was joking, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Last week, a senior Iranian official listed conditions for reopening the strait, including an end to what he described as the “war and aggression” against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr also demanded the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets and compensation for damage caused during the war.

Ongoing attacks

As diplomatic efforts stall between the long-time rivals, attacks around the Strait of Hormuz have continued, raising concerns over the safety of regional shipping.

The United Arab Emirates’ state-owned oil company, ADNOC, said on Saturday that one of its vessels came under attack the previous night. The UAE had on Friday blamed Iran for other attacks on two vessels linked to ADNOC as they passed through the strait.

The attacks contributed to the collapse of an April ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

As Iran restricts traffic through Hormuz, its Houthi allies in Yemen have also announced a parallel maritime blockade on Saudi ports in the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia’s only other maritime route.

A June agreement between Washington and Tehran, which was intended to provide a basis for negotiations towards a permanent settlement, stated that Iran and Oman would discuss future arrangements for the strait with other Gulf countries in accordance with applicable international law.

Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports. Disruption to traffic through the waterway has repeatedly pushed up energy prices, increasing economic and political pressure on the US administration.

Iran wants greater control over the strait and has indicated plans to charge tolls, measures it did not implement before the war and which Washington strongly opposes.

The closure has also contributed to higher prices for American consumers, creating a political challenge for Trump as the November midterm elections approach.

US Vice President JD Vance said this week that Washington’s priority in the conflict was keeping energy prices low for Americans, while preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon ranked second.

Tehran said last week that it had reached an understanding with Oman on a route for ships to transit the strait and was finalising arrangements for the two countries to jointly manage the waterway.

The US has also imposed a retaliatory blockade of Iranian ports in an attempt to further pressure Tehran’s economy.

“We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to,” Trump told supporters at Friday’s rally.

Credit: Channels