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| Iran's Kazem Gharibabadi waits for the start of a board of governors' meeting at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria on November 7. — Reuters/File |
• Iran says the Strait of
Hormuz will remain under its control and vows to maintain the blockade
• White House official says Donald Trump’s remarks about claiming Hormuz
were made as a joke
• Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledges the war’s economic
impact, while Abbas Araghchi rules out talks without strict conditions
• Iran seeks the release of three pilots allegedly detained in Qatar; Doha
denies holding them
DUBAI: Iran has rejected
US President Donald Trump’s claim that he would soon declare the strategic
Strait of Hormuz part of US territory, insisting that the crucial energy
waterway will remain under Iranian control.
The latest exchange comes as
attacks on oil tankers have brought maritime traffic through the Strait of
Hormuz close to a standstill, raising concerns about global energy supplies and
the economic impact of the ongoing conflict.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister
Kazem Gharibabadi said on X that the Strait of Hormuz had always been
Iranian-controlled and would remain so.
He said Iran would decide when
the waterway would be opened or closed and vowed to continue enforcing the
blockade as long as what he described as US “fantasies” and the conflict
continued.
Trump says US could claim
Strait of Hormuz
Trump, speaking at a rally in New
York on Friday, said that after the United States defeated Iran, he would
“pretty soon” declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory.
A White House official later
sought to downplay the comments, saying Trump had been joking.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of
the world’s most important energy corridors, carrying a significant share of
global oil shipments. Any prolonged disruption to shipping through the waterway
could put further pressure on oil prices and global energy markets.
Iran rules out negotiations
without conditions
Diplomatic efforts to end the
confrontation remain stalled.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas
Araghchi said on Saturday that Tehran had not decided to resume direct
negotiations with Washington. He also said messages exchanged through Qatar and
Pakistan should not be considered formal negotiations.
Iran has said the United States
must meet strict conditions before shipping through the region can return to
normal.
Senior Iranian official Mohammad
Bagher Zolghadr previously demanded an end to what Tehran calls the war and
aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.
He also called for an end to US sanctions and compensation for wartime damage.
Tanker attacks disrupt
shipping
Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz
have continued despite diplomatic efforts.
The United Arab Emirates’
state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said one of its vessels was attacked
while transiting the strait on Friday evening. The incident followed attacks on
two ADNOC vessels a day earlier.
No injuries were reported.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade
Operations agency also said a bulk carrier was struck in its hull by an
unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.
The attacks have sharply reduced
shipping activity in the waterway. Vessel-tracking data from Kpler showed only
two non-oil vessels passing through on Friday, with no crude oil shipments
recorded.
That represents a major decline
from the more than 130 vessels that crossed the strait each day before the
conflict began in late February.
Gulf economies face growing
economic pressure
The disruption has created a
major challenge for Gulf economies that depend heavily on oil exports.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation’s
chief executive described the country’s oil sector as “paralysed”, with more
than 90 per cent of government revenue dependent on crude exports passing
through the Strait of Hormuz.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan also said reopening the waterway was a priority. He said he had
discussed efforts to end the war and Washington’s role in resolving the crisis
with Trump.
Pezeshkian admits Iran is
facing economic losses
While Tehran has maintained a
defiant position over the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian
has acknowledged the severe economic consequences of the conflict.
Iranian state media quoted
Pezeshkian as attributing rising inflation to the US blockade and damage to
industrial facilities.
“Our revenues have declined. We
used to sell oil, but now we cannot sell it,” Pezeshkian said.
He added that damage to factories
had also severely reduced tax revenues, increasing pressure on Iran’s already
strained economy.
Washington has signalled
additional economic measures against Tehran. US Treasury Secretary Scott
Bessent has promised steps designed to place Iran under unprecedented economic
isolation.
The US military has also said it
intends to maintain an indefinite naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Rising fuel prices create
pressure on Trump
The disruption in the Strait of
Hormuz is also creating a political challenge for Trump ahead of the November
congressional elections.
The average US gasoline price
reached about $4.08 per gallon on Friday, representing an increase of around 29
per cent from a year earlier.
Vice President JD Vance said
keeping energy prices affordable was Washington’s top priority. Trump, however,
has urged Americans to accept higher gasoline prices as part of the cost of
preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Iran seeks information about
three pilots allegedly held in Qatar
Separately, Iran’s Armed Forces
General Staff appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross on
Saturday for help securing the release of three Iranian pilots it says are
being held in Qatar.
Iran’s Missing Persons Search
Committee said pilots Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Omran Behraveshian
were captured alive in March after their Su-24 fighter jets were shot down
during an operation against a US base.
The committee accused Qatar of
violating the Geneva Conventions by allegedly denying the pilots communication
with their families.
Qatar has rejected the
allegations.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman
Majed Al Ansari said on X that Doha “categorically” denied claims that the
Iranian pilots were being detained and expressed surprise at what he called
misleading statements.
Ansari said Qatari rescuers had
carried out search-and-rescue operations and had communicated with Iranian
officials regarding the handover of the remains of one pilot who was found.
He added that Qatar had invited
an Iranian team in April to visit the country and receive information about the
search and rescue operation, but said Tehran had not responded to the
invitation.
Strait of Hormuz crisis
remains unresolved
The dispute over the Strait of
Hormuz comes as military tensions, shipping disruptions and economic pressure
continue to deepen.
Iran has vowed to maintain
control over the strategic waterway, while the United States has signalled
continued military and economic pressure on Tehran. With diplomatic talks
stalled and tanker attacks disrupting maritime traffic, uncertainty over the future
of the Strait of Hormuz remains high.
The situation could have wider consequences for global oil supplies, Gulf economies, shipping companies and consumers if the disruption continues.