Tensions over the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz have spiked in recent days, following a provocative territorial claim from former U.S. President Donald Trump that has drawn sharp pushback from Iranian officials, even as Tehran progresses on talks with Oman to establish a new temporary shipping lane through the waterway.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced Sunday that Tehran and Muscat have been in active negotiations to map out a temporary maritime route for commercial vessels, noting that the original shipping lanes currently remain non-functional after Iran imposed restrictions on navigation last month. “For now, we are designing a temporary route, which can then, at a later stage, be turned into a final route,” Araghchi stated, adding that talks are progressing and a final agreement could be reached in the near term.
Crucially, Araghchi emphasized that discussions of the new route are entirely separate from any potential full reopening of the strait. Even after the temporary lane is finalized, he clarified, a full reopening will only move forward if the United States meets pre-existing conditions that Tehran has laid out.
The diplomatic developments come just one day after Trump made an extraordinary threat during a speech at a New York police academy Friday. In the address, the former president claimed the U.S. had “badly defeated” Iran, and announced that Washington would “pretty soon” formally declare the Strait of Hormuz as U.S. territory. He also reiterated that the ongoing blockade remains in place, claiming “No ships get through unless we want them to.”
Iranian officials across government levels have responded to the claim with unified, fierce rejection. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi dismissed Trump’s declaration in a post on X, arguing that the strait cannot be seized by social media post, military deployment, political speech, or executive order. “The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian; this strait will only be closed and opened under Iran’s command,” Gharibabadi wrote, adding that Iran will maintain its blockade as long as the U.S. refuses to abandon what he called “fanciful delusions.”
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also weighed in, quoting a passage from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s *The Brothers Karamazov* to criticize Trump’s remarks. “The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to such a pass that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others,” Baghaei wrote.
On Sunday, Iran’s army chief Amir Hatami issued an additional warning, per Iranian state media, stating that Washington would face lasting regret should it attempt any move to seize control of the strait.
This escalation comes amid a long-running standoff over the waterway, which has left broader diplomatic efforts to resolve the navigation dispute stalled. Iran first closed the strait on February 28 following joint military strikes carried out by the U.S. and Israel, and has since restricted all non-approved transit through the key chokepoint, which carries roughly 25% of all global seaborne crude oil trade.
As of latest reporting, commercial oil tanker traffic through the strait remains heavily disrupted. Reuters confirmed that only two vessels were recorded passing through the waterway on the day of the report, with no large-scale crude oil shipments documented.