Iran Reacts to Trump’s Claims on Strait of Hormuz
Iranian officials responded on Tuesday, labeling President Donald Trump as “delusional” and asserting the emergence of a “post-American order” in the Persian Gulf. This reaction followed Trump’s posting of a map on Truth Social that marked the Strait of Hormuz as “new U.S. territory,” saying the key waterway was “open and operational.”
The president shared the map without additional comments, reiterating a claim he made previously, including just the day before when asked about a potential declaration of U.S. ownership over the strait.
“It means we’re in control,” Trump remarked to reporters in the Oval Office. He mentioned that while they were managing the situation through lockdowns, he found the idea of declaring it a territory appealing.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Ghalibabadi, directly addressed Trump’s assertions, expressing hope that the Iranian leadership would correct what he termed the president’s “delusions.” He stated, “Just as President Trump called the Persian Gulf by its proper name, either his delusions about the Strait of Hormuz will soon be dispelled or we will correct this deluded man,” posting on social media.
Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the new secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, also mocked Trump. He posted an image illustrating the approximately 7,000-mile distance between Washington and the strait, suggesting that the gap between Trump’s claims and reality was even greater.
“Welcome to the post-American order in the Persian Gulf,” he concluded.
On a separate note, Trump declared that there were no ongoing or planned negotiations with the Iranian government, shortly after revealing that his administration had maintained backchannel communications with Revolutionary Guards officials. He said, “The naval blockade remains in full force and effect. The Strait of Hormuz is open and operational. All surface mines have been removed or exploded.”
Jared Kushner, the special envoy, indicated on Monday that interactions between U.S. officials and the Iranian government have been particularly extensive, though he expressed doubt about whether those discussions would lead to an agreement.
“Conversations between various sectors of the U.S. government and the Iranian government… are probably more robust than they’ve ever been,” he mentioned. However, he noted that Iran “has shown no interest” in reaching a deal favorable to the United States.
Meanwhile, Iran’s chief negotiator and Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Ghalibaf, maintained that Iran would continue to restrict the strait until the United States fulfilled a series of conditions outlined in a memorandum from June, which had been referenced amid a new series of attacks and exchanges by Iran.
“The Strait of Hormuz will not open until the United States meets its commitments,” Ghalibaf asserted, listing demands such as lifting the U.S. naval blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets, and ending U.S. military operations in the region.
Ghalibaf criticized the Trump administration’s methods of increasing economic pressure, directing his comments specifically at Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Army Secretary Pete Hegseth, stating that they were not on par with the realities at hand.
Iranian negotiators further mocked the administration, urging them to stop waiting for “the clown crew to pull a rabbit out of a hat and clean up the mess you made.” Their remarks came as the Trump administration ramped up economic pressure on Iran, with Bessent warning about unprecedented measures being prepared for the isolated nation.
Bessent described the situation as a “one-two punch” of economic isolation along with continued naval blockades, aiming to prevent any traffic in and out of Iranian ports.
In a related response, an adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei emphasized that the flow through the Strait of Hormuz relied on the Islamic Republic’s actions. “There’s no possibility of using the Strait of Hormuz without the measures and plans of the Islamic Republic,” he stated, warning that the situation created by Trump could lead to global issues.
In tandem with these developments, Iranian military activities in the Gulf have escalated. The United Arab Emirates reported that Iran launched two ballistic missiles towards the country, marking the first such attack in months. Although one missile landed outside UAE territorial waters, the other fell within it, prompting Emirati authorities to issue a missile alert and leading to the suspension of all trade and financial dealings with Iran.
This heightened tension coincided with reports of a ship in the strait being struck by an unidentified projectile, resulting in damage and injuries among its crew, amid increasing assaults on commercial vessels in the area.
As diplomatic negotiations faced setbacks, Iranian officials signaled readiness to adopt a more aggressive stance if efforts failed. The ongoing standoff over Hormuz has become pivotal in the broader conflict between the U.S. and Iran regarding control over the strategic waterway.
Despite official estimates indicating that commercial traffic remains lower than pre-conflict levels, Energy Secretary Chris Wright suggested that actual traffic might be underreported due to vessels deactivating transponders in dangerous zones. He noted that on a recent day, around 30 ships passed through Hormuz, carrying vast amounts of oil.
The situation continues to place Oman, a nation that has historically acted as a mediator between the U.S. and Iran, in a complex position as tensions escalate.
The Trump administration has expressed concerns regarding a potential agreement between Iran and Oman, which might further strengthen Iran’s position regarding Hormuz. A warning was issued indicating severe repercussions if Oman interfered with U.S. negotiations.
Additionally, Iranian state media joined the fray, displaying a map of Trump’s “new U.S. territories” under the provocative title “New American Bone Spurs.”
