Iran fired back at President Trump on Saturday after he declared his intention to make the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory, insisting that Tehran alone will decide when the strategic waterway opens or closes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian,\u201d Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on X<\/a>, according to an English translation published by The Hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis strait will only be closed and opened under Iran\u2019s command,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gharibabadi said Iran would continue enforcing its blockade as long as the United States refused to accept what he called the \u201creality of defeat\u201d and continued indulging in \u201cdelusions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The response escalated a growing power struggle over one of the world\u2019s most important shipping routes nearly six months into the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump floated the extraordinary move<\/a> during remarks at a police academy in New York on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPretty soon, I will be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The president has repeatedly argued that America\u2019s naval presence and blockade have already placed the strait under Washington\u2019s operational control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have control over it. Nobody else. Only us,\u201d Trump told reporters earlier in the week. \u201cOur Navy is unbelievable, and things are going great for our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The White House previously quoted Trump making a similar declaration during a July interview with Fox & Friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIran doesn\u2019t control the Strait. We control the Strait,\u201d Trump said, according to the White House summary<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump claimed the U.S. blockade was powerful enough to determine which vessels could enter the passage. The administration has twice deployed the blockade during the conflict as it attempts to isolate Tehran and cut off Iranian shipping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The president, however, has not explained what legal mechanism he would use to designate the waterway as American territory. The strait is an internationally navigable passage bordered by Iran and Oman, with shipping lanes running through their territorial waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n