Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected claims by US President Donald Trump regarding the future of the Strait of Hormuz, asserting that the strategic waterway will remain under Iranian command and cannot be seized by political declarations or military force.
Tehran Dismisses US Territorial Claims
The diplomatic friction intensified following remarks made by Trump during a political rally in Long Island, where he stated that he planned to declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory after the conclusion of the war with Iran. Trump asserted to reporters at Joint Base Andrews that the US exercises total control over the passage.
Writing on the social media platform X, Gharibabadi dismissed the prospect, stating that the strategic corridor cannot be seized by an election speech, aircraft carrier, executive order, or social media post. According to Gharibabadi, Iran does not fear threats or displays of power, maintaining that the transit route has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian.
“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,” Gharibabadi wrote.
Contested Management and Regional Blockades
The Strait of Hormuz, a critical global chokepoint through which one-fifth of global oil and natural gas is shipped during peacetime, has faced severe commercial shipping disruptions since the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran began at the end of February. According to Al Jazeera, the waterway was closed shortly after the initial strikes, and peace talks remain stalled over the question of its management.
Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, informed China’s ambassador to Tehran, Cong Peiwu, via the semi-official Tasnim news agency that the passage will not be opened until Washington alters its behavior and meets specific demands. Rezaei’s conditions include the lifting of economic sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets, compensation for attacks, the termination of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, and a comprehensive regional ceasefire covering Gaza and Lebanon.
While commercial traffic operates at reduced levels amid ongoing blockades and harassment tracked by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, Iran has engaged in diplomatic discussions solely with Oman—whose territorial waters the strait also traverses—regarding the waterway’s administration.
Enforcement Actions in Regional Waters
Military engagements persist across regional maritime corridors. United States Central Command reported that a US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of the Panama-flagged cargo ship M/V Vela Nova in the Gulf of Oman. The vessel allegedly attempted to violate the US blockade of Iranian ports and ignored prior warnings, resulting in disabled steering gear, though no casualties were reported among the crew.
Simultaneously, the conflict has impacted the Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. Yemeni authorities reported that a Houthi attack on the Egyptian-owned cargo vessel Tihamah resulted in six fatalities, comprising four crew members and two responding Yemeni rescuers, alongside ten injuries. Houthi-affiliated media subsequently claimed the vessel was transporting Saudi military equipment, prompting Saudi Arabia to announce a new maritime alliance to secure the passage.
