Tehran rejects Trump claim over Strait of Hormuz control, says waterway remains Iranian
Iran has rejected the United States President, Donald Trump’s claim that the United States could take control of the Strait of Hormuz, insisting that the strategic waterway will remain under Iranian authority.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Saturday that Tehran would retain control over when the strait is opened or closed.
“The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian”, Gharibabadi said on X.
His remarks followed comments by Trump at a political rally in New York state, where he said he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory after defeating Iran.
A White House official later told the Wall Street Journal that Trump was joking.
The dispute comes as tensions remain high over the waterway, which Iran effectively closed at the start of the Middle East war in late February. Iranian officials have previously demanded an end to the war and attacks against Iran and its allies, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen assets and compensation for wartime damage before reopening the strait.
Meanwhile, attacks involving vessels in and around the waterway have continued, raising concerns over regional shipping and global energy supplies.
Before the conflict, the Strait of Hormuz carried about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports, making disruptions a major concern for energy markets. The closure has contributed to rising energy prices and increased economic pressure on Washington ahead of the November midterm elections.
U.S. Vice President, JD Vance, said that keeping energy prices low for Americans was Washington’s top priority in the conflict, followed by preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Iran has also indicated that it reached an understanding with Oman on a route for ships to transit the strait, with arrangements for jointly managing the waterway still being finalised.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has imposed a retaliatory blockade on Iranian ports as part of efforts to pressure Tehran economically.
Trump said on Friday that ships could not pass through the strait unless Washington allowed them to, underscoring the growing dispute over control of the vital waterway.
