He also claimed the US was acting in the interests of the wider world by restricting shipping through the waterway.

“We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to,” Trump said.

Iran swiftly rejected the US president’s comments.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz “has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian”.

He said the waterway would be opened or closed only under Iran’s authority.

“The Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized with a tweet, an aircraft carrier, an executive order, or a campaign speech,” Gharibabadi said.

He added that Iran would continue enforcing its blockade as long as Washington refused to accept what Tehran described as its defeat.

Trump’s comments come as shipping through the key energy route remains severely disrupted.

The 170-kilometre Strait of Hormuz connects the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and is a major route for global oil and gas shipments. Traffic has fallen sharply since the conflict began, with the US blockade of Iranian ports and restrictions on commercial shipping creating a prolonged standoff.

Trump had previously said the strait would be “open literally” the following day, but shipping remains far below normal levels.

Trump also defended the military action against Iran and said he would “never apologise” for the conflict, despite higher petrol prices.

He argued that Americans should accept paying more for fuel if it helps prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

“For you to pay a tiny little bit more for your gasoline, just remember you're doing it so that a very evil country cannot have ... a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

Benchmark Brent crude rose to around $88 a barrel on Friday, up about 5% for the week.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has not decided whether to resume negotiations with Washington.

He said Qatar and Pakistan had exchanged messages with both sides, but stressed that these contacts did not amount to negotiations.

Trump earlier said the US was “low-keying” talks with Iran and that Washington was only “semi-negotiating” with Tehran.

The Strait of Hormuz includes the territorial waters of Iran, Oman and the UAE, as well as international waters. Any attempt to formally incorporate the waterway into US territory would therefore face major legal and diplomatic challenges.

A White House official later told The Wall Street Journal that Trump’s comments about declaring the strait US territory were a joke.

Trump has previously made other proposals involving territorial expansion, including suggestions that Canada become the 51st US state and renewed calls for the US to acquire Greenland.

Trump also dismissed concerns about the lengthy deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been operating in the region for almost nine months.

He said the deployment was “not nearly long enough” but confirmed that the carrier would be replaced by another similar vessel.

The developments come as tensions around Hormuz remain high, with the waterway continuing to face major shipping and security disruptions.

The immediate focus remains on whether Washington and Tehran can revive negotiations and whether shipping through Hormuz can return to normal.

For now, both sides remain entrenched: Trump insists the US has control of the waterway and is increasing pressure on Iran, while Tehran rejects Washington’s claims and continues to assert authority over the strait.