Tehran, August 15, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Iran on Saturday asserted control over the Strait of Hormuz, with Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi saying the strategic waterway would be closed or reopened only on Tehran’s terms, amid escalating tensions with the United States.
Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, made the remarks on X in response to US President Donald Trump’s claim that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory.
“The Strait of Hormuz can be captured neither with a tweet and aircraft carriers nor by issuing orders and a stump speech. Iran is neither afraid of threats nor intimidated by displays of power,” Gharibabadi said.
“This strait will only be closed and opened under Iran’s command,” he added.
Trump had said at a rally in New York on Friday that after defeating Iran, he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States.
Amid the dispute, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had not yet decided whether to resume negotiations with Washington.
Speaking to state-run IRIB, Araghchi said messages were being exchanged between Iran and the US through mediators, but stressed that this did not amount to negotiations.
He referred to a memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the US in June that declared an end to the war in the region, including Lebanon. According to Araghchi, the US subsequently violated the understanding, following which fighting resumed.
Araghchi also said Iran and Oman were working on an alternative route to facilitate the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. The two sides were currently developing a temporary route that could later become permanent, he said.
“We may reach a conclusion soon,” Araghchi said, while adding that reopening the strait would depend on the fulfilment of other conditions to which the US would have to commit.
Under the June MoU, Iran and the US were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days to reach a final agreement. The deadline is due to expire on Monday, but the future of the proposed talks remains uncertain following renewed escalation between the two countries last month.
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