Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi, chairperson of parliament's National Security Committee, hit back at the United States over the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, after President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran again and floated taking control of the waterway.
In a post on X, Azizi wrote, "You make threats; we take action," adding that "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."
You make threats; we take action.
— ابراهیم عزیزی (@Ebrahimazizi33) June 22, 2026
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.”
His remarks follow days of escalating rhetoric between Washington and Tehran even as both sides continue negotiations under a memorandum of understanding signed last week.
Trump had told Fox News that Iran would "not have a country" if it kept the strait closed, and warned that the US could "take over the rest of the country,".
He later wrote on Truth Social that Iran must stop its "highly paid proxies in Lebanon from causing trouble," threatening to "hit Iran very hard again... only harder."
Iran had announced over the weekend that it had shut the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route, citing continued Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon as a violation of the ceasefire terms agreed under the MoU.
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Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Ghalibaf and other officials reportedly walked out of talks in Switzerland after Trump's comments, before Tehran said negotiations had "paused" but not ended.
Despite the friction, mediators Qatar and Pakistan said the two sides had since formed a "line of communication" aimed at ensuring "safe passage" for commercial vessels through the strait for a 60-day period outlined in the original memorandum.
Under that agreement, Iran is to use its "best efforts" to guarantee toll-free passage for ships moving between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, the joint statement between the two nations said.
Azizi has previously taken a hard line on the strait, earlier warning that "any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire," and that the waterway "would not be managed by Trump's delusional posts."
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