Iran MP warns Trump over Hormuz threats: He should worry about his own security

An Iranian lawmaker has responded to US President Donald Trump's claim that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory. According to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, "The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian." He added that the strait will only be closed and opened under Iran's command.

Trump made the claim at a political rally in New York state, saying he would declare the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States after the US defeats Iran. However, an unnamed White House official later clarified that Trump was joking, according to the Wall Street Journal. Iran effectively closed the strait at the start of the Middle East war in late February, and despite Trump's insistence that it is under US control, traffic remains throttled.

A top Iranian official, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, set out a list of conditions for reopening the strait last week, including an end to the "war and aggression against Iran and its allies" and the end of crippling sanctions. Ongoing attacks in the Hormuz strait have continued, highlighting the continued risks to regional stability.

Brief written by urgent.news from Arutz Sheva - Israel National News, Malay Mail, The Korea Times, CBS News, New Straits Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.