A White House official confirmed that US President Donald Trump was "joking" when he said that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory soon. The American Wall Street Journal quoted the unnamed official as saying that Trump made this statement “as a joke.” Trump announced yesterday evening, Friday, that he would "soon" declare the Strait of Hormuz as American territory, after defeating Iran. In response to Trump, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed in a post on the “X” platform, on Saturday, that the Strait of Hormuz “was, is, and will remain Iranian,” adding that this passage “will not be opened or closed except by order of Iran.”