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

The Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy waterway effectively blockaded by Iran, has remained under Iranian control despite US claims to the contrary, according to Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi. On X, Gharabadi stated, "The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian." This stance came after US President Donald Trump threatened to declare the strait a territory of the US following Iran's blockade of the waterway.

Trump made this claim during a political rally in New York state, adding that once the US defeats Iran, the Hormuz Strait would soon become a US territory. However, a White House official later clarified that Trump was joking. Iran has repeatedly insisted that the strait will only be closed and opened under its command. In recent attacks, one of UAE's state-owned oil giant ADNOC vessels came under attack, which Iran's foreign ministry blamed on Tehran's Revolutionary Guards for engaging in "acts of piracy."

The ongoing attacks have led to the collapse of an April ceasefire between the US and Iran. Iran and Oman have reportedly agreed on a route for ships to transit the strait and are finalizing arrangements to jointly manage the waterway.