Iran's official "Iran In Hyderabad" account on X posted a map claiming California as a "new territory of Islamic Republic of Iran," hours after President Donald Trump shared an image on Truth Social describing the Strait of Hormuz as "New U.S. Territory."

The Iranian account's post showed a map of the United States with California highlighted in blue, captioned "NEW TERRITORY OF ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN."

The White House had earlier reposted Trump's original image on its own X account, amplifying his claim before Tehran's response circulated online.

Other Iranian diplomatic accounts joined the exchange, with the Iranian embassy in Tunisia sharing Trump's original map altered to read "PERSIAN GULF," "STRAIT OF HORMUZ" and "IRANIAN TERRITORY," captioned "I fixed it."

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, followed with a sharper rebuke on X, writing in Persian that Trump's delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz would soon either be corrected or that Iran would correct what he called the delusions of "this delusional man."

The choice of California carried symbolic weight beyond the tit-for-tat map exchange. The state, particularly Los Angeles County, is home to the largest population of Iranian descent outside Iran itself, with roughly 141,000 Iranian Americans living in the county, according to figures from UCLA's Center for Near Eastern Studies.

The Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, often called "Tehrangeles," has served as a hub of Iranian diaspora life since the community's expansion following Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Trump's original post followed remarks he made days earlier suggesting he intended to declare the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory once the war with Iran concluded, and came alongside a separate Truth Social post insisting no talks were underway with Tehran.

The Strait of Hormuz, which lies within Iranian and Omani territorial waters and carries roughly a fifth of global oil shipments, has been at the center of the ongoing conflict since the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran earlier this year.

The exchange unfolded against a backdrop of stalled diplomacy. Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding in June aimed at ending the war and laying groundwork for a broader agreement, but talks have since stalled over disputes concerning its implementation and navigation rights through the strait.

Separate negotiations involving Iran and Oman over arrangements for the waterway have likewise continued without a breakthrough.

Neither the White House nor the U.S. State Department had issued a direct response to Iran's California claim as of the time of this report, and the exchange remains confined to social media rather than any formal diplomatic channel.