Iran: Strait of Hormuz Will Remain Iranian Despite Trump's Statement
Iran has sharply rejected US President Donald Trump's statement about plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory, insisting the naval blockade will continue. The dispute flares up even as both sides had signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at resolving the conflict.
Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, said on Saturday in a post on social platform X that the Strait of Hormuz "was, is, and will remain" under Iranian control. He stressed that the strait would only be closed or opened on Iran's orders, and that the blockade would continue until the United States acknowledges the reality of the situation.
The statement came in response to remarks by US President Donald Trump during a Friday address in New York, in which he said he would soon declare the strategically important waterway to be United States territory, adding that no vessel would be able to pass through without US consent. It remained unclear how seriously the remarks were intended, but they triggered a sharp reaction from Tehran.
A strategically vital waterway
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, and normally carries about a quarter of the world's seaborne oil shipments. Iran effectively closed passage through the strait after the conflict escalated in late February.
Tension around the strait has repeatedly flared, even though the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding in June. Under its terms, Iran agreed to reopen the strait and confirm it would not acquire or develop nuclear weapons, while the United States pledged to lift the naval blockade of Iran and remove sanctions against Tehran. The agreement gave the two countries 60 days to work out a final deal.
However, Iranian attacks on shipping in the strait in July triggered a new wave of US strikes and the reimposition of a naval blockade on Iranian ports, putting the peace effort at risk.
