Iran’s top negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, vowed Monday that Tehran would “defeat” the U.S. naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports, while accusing Washington of escalating tensions throughout the region.

“We will turn the naval blockade — which is a war crime and part of the enemy’s conspiracy — into yet another defeat for them through comprehensive planning,” Ghalibaf said, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

The remarks came after President Donald Trump declared earlier Monday that the blockade, first imposed in April, would remain in place “in full force” until a final peace agreement is reached between the United States and Iran.

Trump has previously argued that the blockade provides Washington with greater leverage over Tehran than military action alone.

Ghalibaf, however, claimed the restrictions violate the temporary ceasefire arrangements and reiterated Tehran’s deep distrust of the United States.

“The choice is not between war and negotiations,” Ghalibaf said. “Rather, we must fight when the time calls for fighting and negotiate when the time calls for negotiating.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Quds Force commander announced plans to establish what he described as a “new security belt of the resistance” stretching from the Strait of Hormuz to the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

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