Middle East live: Trump threatens US takeover of Hormuz as Iran vows to retain control

US President Donald Trump threatened to declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory after vowing to “finish defeating” Iran in a New York rally on Friday. Tehran rejected the claim on Saturday, with Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi saying the strategic waterway “will remain Iranian” and can be opened or closed only at Iran’s command. Follow our live blog for the latest updates. Iran says Strait of Hormuz 'will remain Iranian' Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stressed Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz "will remain Iranian", after US President Donald Trump said he would "soon" declare the waterway part of American territory. "The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian," Gharibabadi said on X, adding that the route "will be opened and closed only at Iran's command". Trump had said Friday that after the US defeats Iran, "pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States". UAE oil vessel comes under attack in Strait of Hormuz, state company says UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said on Saturday that one of its vessels came under attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier. The state oil company said no injuries were reported, with the situation now under control. Iran has not yet decided to resume talks with US Iran has not decided to resume talks with the US, and messages being exchanged via Qatar and Pakistan do not amount to negotiations, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in an interview published on Saturday. Araqchi told Iranian news outlet Shahrara News that separate talks with Oman were focused on defining a sea route through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US would have to meet conditions for shipping to resume through the waterway. Trump says will 'soon' declare Hormuz strait US territory President Donald Trump on Friday said he would "soon" declare the Strait of Hormuz waterway part of US territory, claiming that Iran was being heavily defeated. "Pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States. It's true," he said with a chuckle during a political rally at a police academy in New York state. Welcome to our live blog covering events in the Middle East. You can catch up on yesterday's key developments here.