Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran alone has the authority to decide whether the Strait of Hormuz remains open or closed. He made the remarks in response to US President Donald Trump’s statement that he would soon declare the strait US territory. The report was published on August 15, 2026.

In a post on X, Gharibabadi said Iran was not intimidated by US threats or displays of military power. He said any decision to open or close the strait would be made solely by Tehran. He also said the Strait of Hormuz “was Iran’s, is Iran’s and will remain Iran’s.”

Gharibabadi said the United States had failed to impose its will on the waterway and that it would be opened and closed only under Iranian direction. He said Iran would maintain the blockade as long as the United States refused to acknowledge what he called the reality of its defeat. Trump made his statement on Friday at a police academy on Long Island, New York.