Iran rebukes Trump’s Strait of Hormuz territory comment: ‘Will remain Iranian’
Iran has responded angrily to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent statements about declaring the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory, condemning such claims as “fanciful delusions” and asserting that the strait remains Iranian-controlled and will continue to do so. Trump escalated tensions by stating at a rally that he plans to declare the strait a U.S. territory after defeating Iran, intensifying concerns over the strategic waterway crucial for global energy markets. Iran’s deputy foreign minister,Kazem Gharibabadi,dismissed Trump’s remarks,emphasizing iran’s permanent control over the strait and rejecting U.S. claims of control. The dispute over the Strait of Hormuz has been a longstanding point of contention,with both nations trading accusations and engaging in talks about control and safe passage. The US has claimed it has “total control” over the waterway, while Iran maintains it remains Iranian territory.The geopolitical tension over the strait has also impacted U.S.domestic politics,especially regarding energy prices ahead of the 2026 midterm elections,with Trump framing higher fuel costs as necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Iran hit back at President Donald Trump’s statement that he will “pretty soon” make the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory, with an Iranian diplomat calling Trump’s comments “fanciful delusions.”
Trump escalated his rhetoric aimed at Tehran, declaring on Friday that, “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.” Trump made the comments at an afternoon rally in Garden City, New York, elevating the stakes over vital shipping waterway that has been central to the war and its economic fallout on worldwide energy markets.
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Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, posted on X in response to Trump’s comments on Friday, bashing the United States and rejecting the idea that the strait could fall out of Iranian control.
“Once and for all, accept the reality: up to this point, you have suffered strategic and heavy defeats; the Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian; this strait will only be closed and opened under Iran’s command, and as long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and cease your fanciful delusions, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade,” Gharibabadi wrote, according to an X English translation from Persian.
The Strait of Hormuz flows between Iran and Oman, with both countries currently in talks about the control of the strait and how ships can safely pass through the waterway. Iran and the U.S. have traded barbs over who controls the Strait for much of the war, with Trump saying earlier this week also that the U.S. military has “total control” over the waterway.
“The Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech. Iran neither fears threats nor cowers before displays of power,” Gharibabadi wrote.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to the White House for response to Gharibabadi’s comments.
TRUMP SAYS ‘PRETTY SOON’ HE’LL DECLARE THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ A ‘TERRITORY OF THE UNITED STATES’
The conflict over the Strait of Hormuz has also prevailed over U.S. national politics, as rising energy prices since the start of the war have led to a renewed emphasis on affordability messaging in the 2026 midterms, something Democrats hammered home in the 2025 off-year elections.
“For you to pay a tiny little bit more for your gasoline, just remember you’re doing it so that a very evil country cannot have a country,” Trump said at the Garden City rally on Friday. “We don’t want to have them have a nuclear weapon. So remember that when you have to pay a little bit more.”
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