Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz is under Tehran’s command following a U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) security summit in Bahrain.
Strait Of Hormuz Under Iran
On Wednesday, CENTCOM led a summit hosted by Bahrain and attended by senior military officials from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, according to a press release.
The talks discussed the “flow of commerce” through the Strait of Hormuz. Gharibabadi posted a screenshot of the release, rejecting the summit. “The Strait of Hormuz is defined by Iranian command, not by CENTCOM,” he said in the post.
He added that the Bahrain summit cannot establish a legal order or security in the Persian Gulf, calling for an end to U.S. intervention and withdrawal from the region to ensure security.
Gharibabadi also said that the U.S. needed to accept “new geopolitical realities” in the region to ensure security, which a “military umbrella” may not provide.
هرمز زیر فرمان ایران تعریف می شود نه سنتکام. نشست نظامی در بحرین نمیتواند برای خلیج فارس نظم حقوقی و امنیت بسازد. امنیت منطقه با پایان مداخله و خروج آمریکا از منطقه، احترام به حاکمیت کشورها و پذیرش واقعیتهای جدید ژئوپلیتیک تأمین میشود نه زیر چتر نظامی آمریکا. pic.twitter.com/82riYKtyJO
— Gharibabadi (@Gharibabadi) July 2, 2026
10 Million Barrels Through the Strait of Hormuz
Notably, a report by Bloomberg on Wednesday cited an unnamed U.S. official who said that ships were passing through the Strait of Hormuz with the help of the U.S. military. The official also said that oil shipments had surged to over 10 million barrels per day.
Over the weekend, a tanker was hit in the Strait. Bahrain said that its territory was targeted by Iranian drones, calling it a violation of sovereignty.
Meanwhile, Iran rejected direct talks with the U.S. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will communicate with Iran through Qatari mediators.
Trump Faces Backlash Over Qatar Jet
Back home, Trump has been facing increasing backlash from Democrats over the Qatar-gifted $400 million Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA) 747 Jet, which replaced Air Force One.
Disclaimer: Gharibabadi’s comments were originally made in Farsi and have been translated into English.
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