Iran neither fears threats nor scared of force

Responded to a claim by US President Donald Trump that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on Saturday said the strait cannot be seized with a tweet, an aircraft carrier, an executive order, or a campaign speech.  
“Iran neither fears threats nor is intimidated by displays of force,” said Gharibabadi in a statement.  
“The strait will be closed or opened solely under Iran’s authority, and as long as you refuse to accept the reality of defeat and abandon your delusions, Iran will continue enforcing the blockade,” he added.
"Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian," Gharibabadi said on X.
Trump told a political rally in New York state on Friday that after the US defeats Iran, "pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States".
Trump said he would “never apologize” for taking military action against Iran, arguing that higher gas prices have been worth it in his pursuit of preventing Iran from having a nuclear weapon.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran has not decided whether to resume negotiations with the US. 
Araghchi said that mediators Qatar and Pakistan have exchanged messages, but that those interactions do not constitute negotiations. 
As diplomacy stalls between the decades-long foes, attacks in the Hormuz strait have continued, highlighting the continued risks to regional shipping. United Arab Emirates' state-owned oil giant ADNOC said Saturday one of its vessels came under attack the night before.
On Friday the Gulf nation blamed Iran for other attacks on two vessels linked to ADNOC as they passed through the strait. Such attacks led to the collapse of an April ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
Progress towards peace talks and oil tanker traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz remained halted, with no sign the warring parties were moving toward ending the conflict that the US and Israel launched on 28 February.
Trump’s war against Iran is stretching the limits of US aircraft carriers and leaving the western Pacific without one of the key American warships as China shows more signs of aggression.
The USS George Washington is departing the Pacific and expected to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East amid growing concerns about mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed carrier. The Lincoln has had its time at sea extended from its original May return date to support operations against Iran.
On the other hand, Iranian authorities on Saturday called for the release of three pilots they say were captured in Qatar during the Middle East war.
"Three Iranian pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the war," said General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian armed forces, Fars news agency reported.