Iran has pushed back against comments made by United States President Donald Trump, declaring that the strategic waterway will remain Iranian.
The response followed a warning from Trump that he would soon designate the passage as United States territory.
Iran Rejects Trump’s Territorial Claim Over the Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital oil and gas transit chokepoint connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It normally carries around a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade, or approximately one-fifth of global oil supply before the conflict. The passage has remained a central point of contention in ongoing diplomatic and military friction between Washington and Tehran. The conflict itself began with the outbreak of war in late February.
Tehran Dismisses Remarks and Defends the Blockade
Speaking at a police academy in Nassau County, New York, Trump remarked that Iran was being badly defeated and stated, 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.
He added that the U.S. maintains a blockade allowing no ships through unless authorized.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for legal and international affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, responded on X by stating that the waterway has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian.
Gharibabadi further asserted that the strait cannot be seized with a tweet, nor with an aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor through an election speech,
adding that Iran will continue enforcing its blockade until the U.S. accepts defeat.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in an interview that no direct negotiations are currently taking place between Tehran and Washington. Although mediators from Qatar and Pakistan remain in contact with Iran, Araghchi confirmed that no decision has been made to resume talks. Meanwhile, a 60-day negotiating period established under a mid-June memorandum of understanding approaches its conclusion with few direct discussions having occurred.
Shipping Disruption and Ongoing Security Concerns
Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed to a trickle compared to the 130 to 140 vessels that typically traverse it during peacetime. Ship-tracking firm Kpler reported that only two vessels passed through the strait on Friday, with no crude oil shipments visible.
Amid the ongoing blockade and military actions, a bulk carrier was struck in the hull by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre. The British navy-run organization reported that the crew remained safe, though no damage assessment was available and the environmental impact was undetermined.
Crude oil futures rose $1 a barrel, and benchmark Brent futures tracked toward a weekly increase of 6.0%. U.S. Vice President JD Vance stated that the primary goal of the administration’s policy is to keep oil and gas cheap for Americans, while the second goal is to ensure Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.
