Iran reacted sharply to US President Donald Trump's statement that the US may declare the Strait of Hormuz as US “territory“ after the end of the war. Tehran said that the strategic sea corridor “will remain Iranian“ and cannot be appropriated by another country.
The statement comes against the backdrop of the ongoing military and diplomatic standoff between Washington and Tehran and the series of attacks on commercial ships in the area. Trump said on August 14 that the US intends to establish permanent control over the strait after victory over Iran is achieved.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Garibabadi said that the Strait of Hormuz “cannot be captured“ and will remain under Iranian control.
The position follows a series of similar statements by senior officials in Tehran. On August 13, the newly appointed head of the paramilitary organization “Basij“ Hossein Taeb said that Iran has “full control“ over the strait. Iran's Joint Military Command also claims that ships cannot pass through the area without Tehran's permission.
However, these claims are disputed by Washington. The United States insists on free international shipping and does not accept the idea of Iran unilaterally controlling the sea route. In options for an agreement discussed in August, even the possibility of Tehran regulating incoming traffic was defined as a major American concession.
The American president said that after the end of military operations, Hormuz could be declared “territory of the United States“. The statement provoked an immediate reaction in Iran and further increased tensions around one of the most important sea routes in the world.
Such a declaration, however, would not in itself change the international legal status of the strait. Hormuz is an international sea route between Iran and Oman, and the dispute currently concerns de facto and military control over shipping, not recognized US territorial ownership.
On August 11, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said that the strait would remain closed until the US met the conditions set by Tehran. These include an end to the war and the unfreezing of Iranian assets abroad.
Negotiations to restore the temporary truce between the two countries have so far yielded no results. Iran accuses Washington of failing to fulfill its commitments to lift blockades and release assets, while the US accuses Tehran of failing to restore free passage through Hormuz.