A senior Iranian lawmaker appeared to issue a warning to US President Donald Trump on Saturday while ridiculing the recent security precaution in which the American president was moved between aircraft in a catering vehicle following assassination concerns.
“The US President ought to worry about his own security rather than his endless bluffing regarding the Strait of Hormuz; before he ends up hiding in a food truck," wrote Ebrahim Azizi, who serves as the head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Commission, in a social media post.
Azizi's comments follow declarations made by Trump during a Long Island campaign rally on Friday, where he stated his intention to assert American control over the strategic waterway.
“After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon, I will be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States," Trump told the crowd.
Commenting on the state of Iran's political structure, Trump added that the country has “no leadership. Their leadership is gone. Their second tier is gone. The third tier is half gone. That’s one of my problems, that there is nobody to negotiate with. It's a problem. It's the only country in the world where nobody wants to be president."
In response to Trump's public statements, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi asserted that Tehran maintains sole authority over maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Gharibabadi affirmed that the ongoing naval blockade would remain in place until Washington acknowledges its "strategic defeat".
Directly addressing Trump's claims on social media, Gharibabadi stated, “Once and for all, accept the reality: up to this point, you have suffered strategic and heavy defeats; the Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian."
The diplomat further added, “This strait will only be closed and opened under Iran's command, and as long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and cease your fanciful delusions, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade."