Iran fires back at Trump's threat to declare Hormuz a US territory
TEHERAN: Iran on Saturday fired back at US President Donald Trump’s claim that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory, saying the crucial energy waterway it has blockaded “will remain Iranian.”
Iran has responded to US President Donald Trump's claim that the Strait of Hormuz would soon be declared part of the United States, stating that the vital energy waterway will remain under Iranian control. Trump has repeatedly insisted that the strait, which Tehran effectively closed at the beginning of the Middle East war in late February, is under US control despite traffic remaining restricted.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, Kazem Gharibabadi, reiterated that the strait will only be controlled by Iran and will be opened and closed at Iran's discretion. Trump made the claim during a political rally in New York, stating that after defeating Iran, he would declare the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States, though a White House official later clarified that the comment was a joke.
Iran has set conditions for reopening the strait, including an end to war and aggression against Iran and its allies, lifting crippling sanctions, and compensating for wartime damage. Meanwhile, ongoing attacks in the Hormuz strait, primarily from Iran's Revolutionary Guards, have continued, highlighting the risks to regional shipping.
The closure of the strait, which carried around a fifth of the world's oil and LNG exports before the war, has driven up prices and created economic and political pressure on the US as the November midterm elections approach.
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