Iran Responds to U.S. Claim Over Strait of Hormuz: "It Has Always Been, and Will Continue to Be, Our Land"

Trump Moves to Declare the Strait of Hormuz as U.S. Territory
Iran Responds: "The Strait of Hormuz Cannot Be Controlled with Words"
U.S. and Iran Continue Tit-for-Tat Blockade... Negotiations Stall

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he will soon declare the Strait of Hormuz as American territory, prompting an immediate backlash from Iran, which insisted, "It has always been, and will continue to be, our land." As tensions over control of the Strait escalate, there are growing expectations that ongoing ceasefire negotiations will also be affected.

Oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz in 2018. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, stated on X (formerly Twitter) on the 15th (local time), "The Strait of Hormuz cannot be controlled through tweets, aircraft carriers, orders, or election speeches."

Deputy Minister Gharibabadi added, "Iran is not afraid of threats and does not submit to displays of force," emphasizing, "Accept reality now. The United States has repeatedly suffered defeats, both strategically and by paying a heavy price."

He went on to say, "The strait will only be closed or opened at the order of Iran," and warned, "As long as the United States refuses to accept the reality of its defeat and remains caught up in futile delusions, Iran will continue the blockade."

Previously, President Trump declared in a speech on the 14th, "I’m going to declare the Strait of Hormuz as U.S. territory soon," stressing, "Essentially it already is, since we are currently blockading it."

Since the outbreak of war in February, the United States and Iran have been confronting each other over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global crude oil shipments. Amid ongoing tit-for-tat military blockades, President Trump took things a step further by asserting that the strait could soon be declared U.S. territory.

Iran has also ruled out restarting negotiations with the United States. According to the semi-official ISNA news agency, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on the same day, regarding the possibility of reopening talks with Washington, "Nothing has been decided yet."

Minister Araghchi explained, "Although Qatar and Pakistan have been in contact with Iran and are exchanging messages, this does not amount to negotiations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.