Iran Vows to Retain Control of Strait of Hormuz Despite Trump's Claims

The Strait of Hormuz will remain under Tehran’s control, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has said, calling on Washington to “stop indulging in delusions.” The statement comes in response to President Donald Trump saying he would soon declare the sea passage a “territory of the US.”

US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February prompted Tehran to close the strait, with Washington responding by imposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports. The blockade disrupted traffic through one of the world’s most important energy corridors, initially sending global oil prices soaring to as high as $120 a barrel.

“Once and for all, accept the reality: up to this point, you have suffered strategic and heavy defeats; the Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian,” Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in a post on X on Saturday, adding that the waterway “will only be closed and opened under Iran’s command, and as long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and cease your fanciful delusions, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade.”

Gharibabadi also said that Hormuz “cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech,” highlighting that Tehran “neither fears threats nor cowers before displays of power.”

Speaking on Friday at a police academy in Nassau County, New York, Trump claimed that the Islamic Republic was being “very badly defeated” and said that, once victory was secured, “pretty soon, I’ll be declaring the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the US.”

Earlier this month, Tehran set out a series of conditions for reopening the strait, including compensation for war damage, the lifting of sanctions, and the release of frozen Iranian funds, and a permanent end to hostilities against Iran and its regional allies. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has also said that reopening Hormuz will depend on Washington fully accepting Tehran’s conditions.

Last week, Trump said his administration was in no rush to reach an agreement. In an interview with Axios, he said Washington was “low-keying” the negotiations while allowing economic pressure on Tehran to build.

The talks, which the US president described as “semi-negotiating,” followed weeks of disagreements over a 14-point memorandum of understanding that established a temporary ceasefire, provided for the gradual lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ports, and called for the restoration of commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Fighting resumed in July after both sides failed to agree on how the deal should be implemented.