Iran has firmly rejected US President Donald Trump's suggestion that he could soon declare the Strait of Hormuz "a territory of the United States," calling the claim delusional as tensions over the critical waterway remain high.
Speaking in New York on Friday, Trump said, "After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States." Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi responded on X: "The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian. This strait will only be closed and opened under Iran's command," adding that it "cannot be seized with a tweet, nor with an aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor through an election speech."
The strait, which normally carries around a fifth of the world's seaborne oil trade, has been a central flashpoint since the US and Israel began striking Iran in late February. Iran has restricted traffic through the waterway and continued targeting vessels it associates with US interests, while Washington maintains its own naval blockade. A ceasefire memorandum agreed in June included a 60-day window set to expire Monday, making the coming days a significant test of whether diplomacy can hold.