President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would "soon" declare the Strait of Hormuz as part of the territory of the United States, stating that Iran was being decisively defeated.
"Very soon I will declare the Strait of Hormuz territory of the United States. It's true," Trump said with a slight smile during a political rally at a police academy in the state of New York.
The president stated that this would happen "after we finish defeating Iran, which is being defeated very badly."
Iran, on the other hand, has rejected the claims and stated that Hormuz cannot be conquered "with a tweet or with aircraft carriers."
"Trump has said that, after the defeat of Iran, he will soon declare the Strait of Hormuz American territory. The Strait of Hormuz cannot be conquered with a tweet or with aircraft carriers, nor by issuing an order or with an electoral speech," stated Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi.
The diplomat asserted that Iran "does not cower in the face of threats or be intimidated by shows of force" and maintained that the strait "has been, is, and will remain Iranian."
"This strait will only be closed and opened under Iran's orders and, as long as they do not accept the reality of their defeat and stop making delusional claims, Iran will continue to impose the blockade," Gharibabadi warned.
The United States, along with Israel, launched a war against Iran on February 28 with the stated objectives of ending the country's controversial nuclear program and triggering a popular uprising.
However, Iran counterattacked by establishing de facto control over much of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage for the transportation of energy and other essential commodities of global trade.
Meanwhile, the United States imposes a blockade on Iranian ports in an attempt to cripple its economy.
"We have the blockade. No ship passes unless we want it to," Trump told the crowd of supporters and police officers cheering him on.
These statements come after Iran claimed to have Trump cornered in the Strait of Hormuz.
In this context, oil prices rose on Friday, driven by the hardening of the United States' stance towards Iran, with Washington considering the possibility of an unprecedented economic isolation of the Islamic Republic.
The price of North Sea Brent crude oil for October delivery rose by 1.67% to $88.52 per barrel.
Its U.S. counterpart, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for September delivery, increased by 1.42% to $82.40 per barrel.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened Tehran on Thursday with "a combination of unprecedented economic isolation and the continuation of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which will prevent the entry and exit of goods from Iranian ports."