TEHRAN, June 22 — Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Committee, issued a warning to the United States on Monday amid ongoing technical talks between Tehran and Washington, asserting Iran’s authority over the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump threatened to “take over” the strategic waterway.
In a post on X, Azizi criticized Trump’s comments, declaring that the Strait of Hormuz is “neither your personal casino nor the backyard of modern-day pirates” and insisting that decisions regarding the waterway rest with the Iranian people and the country’s armed forces.
“You make threats; we take action. The Strait of Hormuz is neither your personal casino nor the backyard of modern-day pirates; these are Iranian sovereign waters, and the ultimate decision rests with the noble people of Iran and its brave armed forces,” Azizi wrote.
His remarks followed comments by Trump on Sunday in which the U.S. president revealed that he had spoken with Iranian officials overnight and warned Tehran against attempting to block the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical shipping routes.
In comments to Fox News, Trump indicated that the United States would respond forcefully to any effort to disrupt maritime traffic through the waterway.
“You close it, and you won’t have a country. You won’t even make it back to your country,” Trump said.
The president also suggested that Washington could assume direct operational control of the shipping corridor if necessary and potentially impose transit fees on vessels passing through the strait.
“We may take over the Strait if we have to,” Trump said.
Warning of possible economic measures if negotiations fail, he added, “If they don’t make a deal, we’ll collect tolls.”
Despite the sharp rhetoric, Iran and the United States have established a direct communication channel to prevent incidents and misunderstandings in the Strait of Hormuz, mediators Qatar and Pakistan announced Monday following the first round of high-level talks under a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
A joint statement issued after the Lake Lucerne Summit in Burgenstock, Switzerland, said the communication line was created “to avoid incidents and miscommunication with the aim of safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.”
The channel is linked to Paragraph 5 of the memorandum, under which Iran agreed to use its best efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman for a period of 60 days without imposing transit fees.
According to the provision, commercial vessel traffic is to resume immediately, signaling the restoration of maritime activity through the strategically important waterway.
The agreement also requires Iran to address obstacles to navigation and implement the necessary measures within one month.
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