Iran pushes back on Trump’s plan to make Strait of Hormuz US territory
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory once the war with Iran is over, a statement quickly rejected by Tehran, which said the waterway could not be claimed through threats.
“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 said during a speech at a police academy in New York state, without providing details.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected Trump’s claim shortly afterwards, saying Tehran was not intimidated by US threats or displays of power. “The Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech,” he wrote on X.
Gharibabadi said the United States must accept that it had suffered a strategic and severe defeat. “The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian.” He added that the waterway would only be closed and reopened on Iran’s orders. As long as the US did not accept its defeat, Iran would continue to enforce the blockade.
Hormuz remains major point of dispute
The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a central point of contention between Washington and Tehran, alongside Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran’s effective blockade of the waterway has become one of its most powerful levers of pressure on Trump, who has been seeking a way to resolve the issue for weeks.
Iran has demanded an end to all US threats against it, the lifting of a naval blockade of Iranian ports and the withdrawal of US forces from the region, as well as full compensation for damage caused by the war.
Before the war began in late February, shipping through the narrow waterway had been largely uninterrupted. About a fifth of the world’s oil consumption passed through the Strait of Hormuz, which is also a key route for liquefied natural gas and fertilizer shipments. Oil prices have surged since the war began.
A prolonged disruption to shipping through the strait could also have political consequences for Trump at home. Republicans face midterm elections in about three months, and higher fuel prices could prove a liability for the party.