- India,
- 15-Aug-2026 03:55 PM IST
The geopolitical tension between Iran and the United States has escalated Notably following recent statements made by Donald Trump regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has officially warned Trump to stop dreaming about the occupation of the strategic waterway, asserting that the Strait of Hormuz was, is, and will always remain under Iranian sovereignty, while this reaction comes after Trump claimed that the United States would soon declare the Hormuz waterway as part of American territory. In response, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi emphasized that the opening and closing of the strait would occur only upon the orders of Iran.
Iran Rejects Trump's Territorial Claims
Kazem Gharibabadi took to the social media platform X to deliver a sharp rebuttal to Trump's assertions, while he stated that Trump had claimed that after Iran's defeat, he would soon declare Hormuz as United States territory. Gharibabadi clarified that the Strait of Hormuz can't be captured through tweets, aircraft carriers, the issuance of orders, or election speeches. He urged the American leadership to accept the reality once and for all that they've faced a strategic and heavy defeat. He further added that as long as the United States doesn't accept the truth of its defeat and doesn't abandon its imaginary misconceptions, Iran will continue its blockade.
Trump's Statements at the New York Rally
The controversy began during a political rally held at a police academy in New York. During the event, Trump laughingly stated that after completely defeating Iran, which he claimed is currently losing badly, he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz as a territory of the United States. Trump justified this by saying that paying a slightly higher price for petrol for one's car is a fair trade-off to ensure that a very bad country doesn't possess nuclear weapons, while following these remarks, an unidentified White House official later clarified that Trump was merely joking, though the statement had already triggered a strong response from Tehran.
The Wall of Steel and Truth Social Claims
Donald Trump further expanded on his claims through a post on Truth Social. He asserted that the United States has full control over the Strait of Hormuz and expressed his belief that they would maintain this control. He mentioned that everyone is referring to the American naval blockade as a Wall of Steel and claimed that Iran is powerless to do anything about it. These assertions of total control and a naval blockade have been met with direct contradictions from Iranian military and diplomatic officials.
Military and Diplomatic Responses from Iran
Ibrahim Zolfaghari, the spokesperson for Iran's central military command, Khatam-al-Anbiya, appeared in a video broadcast on state television to address the situation. He dismissed the American claims as nothing but lies and fabrications. Zolfaghari stated that the claims that ships are passing normally through the Strait of Hormuz under US oversight are false. He maintained that the Strait of Hormuz remains under the complete management and control of the Islamic Republic of Iran, just as it was before. He emphasized that it wasn't and won't be possible for any commercial vessel or tanker to pass safely through the strait without the approval and monitoring of Iran's powerful military forces.
Intelligence Failures and Strategic Miscalculations
Senior Iranian diplomat Abbas Araghchi also weighed in on the matter, suggesting that the United States has been making incorrect estimations regarding the maritime route. In a post on X, Araghchi attributed these errors to intelligence failures. He stated that due to a failure in intelligence, the United States has been making wrong assessments for a long time. The Iranian leadership remains firm in its stance that the Strait of Hormuz is a sovereign Iranian asset and that any claims to the contrary by American political figures are based on misconceptions rather than the ground reality of military and strategic control.
