Iran fires back at Trump’s threat to declare Hormuz a US territory

Iran vehemently refuted US President Donald Trump's claim that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a part of US territory, insisting the vital energy waterway remains Iranian, according to the deputy foreign minister. Trump had made the assertion during a New York rally, stating that the strait would be under US control once Iran was defeated.

However, a White House official later clarified that Trump's remark was meant as a joke. Iran's deputy foreign minister demanded an end to aggression against Iran and its allies, the release of frozen assets, and compensation for wartime damage as conditions for reopening the strait. The ongoing attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, including one by the UAE state-owned oil giant ADNOC, have highlighted the risks to regional shipping and contributed to the collapse of a cease-fire between the US and Iran.

Iran has further blocked Saudi ports in the Red Sea, complicating the oil-exporting nation's only maritime route. The US, in retaliation, imposed a blockade on Iranian ports, aiming to curb its economy.