RismadarVoice Reporters
August 15, 2026
Iran has rejected US President Donald Trump’s threat to declare the strategic Strait of Hormuz part of United States territory, insisting that the crucial waterway “has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian.”
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi made the remarks on Saturday in response to Trump’s comments at a political rally in New York State on Friday.
Trump had said that after the United States defeats Iran, he would “pretty soon” declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory.
“It’s true,” Trump added.
However, an unnamed White House official later told the Wall Street Journal that the President was joking.
Gharibabadi maintained that Iran would retain control over the waterway, which Tehran has effectively blockaded since the outbreak of the Middle East war in late February.
“This strait will only be closed and opened under Iran’s command,” he said in a post on X.
Iran has previously outlined conditions for reopening the waterway, including an end to what it described as the “war and aggression” against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.
The conditions also include the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets and compensation for wartime damage.
Tensions persist in Hormuz
Meanwhile, tensions have continued in the Strait of Hormuz, with attacks on vessels further raising concerns over the safety of regional shipping.
The United Arab Emirates’ state-owned oil company, ADNOC, said on Saturday that one of its vessels was attacked on Friday night.
The UAE Foreign Ministry subsequently blamed Iran, accusing the Iranian Revolutionary Guards of engaging in “acts of piracy” in the strategic waterway.
The UAE had earlier accused Iran of attacks on two other vessels linked to ADNOC while they were transiting the strait.
The incidents reportedly contributed to the collapse of an April ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
Iran’s restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have also contributed to higher energy prices, increasing economic pressure on the United States as its November midterm elections approach.
Before the current conflict, the waterway handled roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports, making it one of the world’s most strategically important maritime routes.
Iran has indicated that it wants greater control over the strait, including the power to impose transit tolls, a proposal strongly opposed by the United States.
Tehran also said last week that it had reached an understanding with Oman on a route for ships to transit the waterway, with arrangements for joint management still being finalised.
The United States, meanwhile, has imposed a retaliatory blockade of Iranian ports in an effort to weaken Tehran’s economy.
Trump said on Friday: “We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to.”
