Trump says he will 'soon' declare Strait of Hormuz US territory
US President Donald Trump said he plans to soon declare the strategic Strait of Hormuz US territory, a claim Iran has dismissed, insisting the waterway remains under its control.
Speaking at a rally held at a police academy in Garden City, New York, on Friday, President Donald Trump said that once Iran is defeated, he intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory. He insisted he was serious, though it remained unclear whether the remark signals an actual shift in Washington's approach to its five-month conflict with Tehran.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, rejected the claim, stating that Iran would not be intimidated and that the strategically vital waterway would stay under Iranian authority.
Background to the conflict
The war began on February 28, when the US and Israel launched military action against Iran, initially framed around halting Tehran's nuclear program and encouraging a change of government. In response, Iran has struck US allies across the Middle East with drones and missiles and imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a passage that carried roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war. Washington answered with its own naval blockade targeting Iranian vessels and ports. The standoff over the strait has persisted for months, driving energy prices sharply higher. The resulting rise in fuel costs and broader economic strain are expected to weigh heavily on November's midterm elections.
Additional comments at the rally
Trump told the crowd that Americans should be willing to pay somewhat more for gasoline as the cost of stopping a hostile nation from acquiring a nuclear weapon, adding that no vessel passes through the US blockade without Washington's consent. He also brushed aside concerns about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier that has been deployed near the Middle East for nine months. Relatives of crew members have described difficult living conditions, worsening mental health, and reported suicide attempts among personnel. Trump argued the deployment had not been excessive, calling it insufficient rather than too long, and confirmed the carrier would soon be replaced by a comparable vessel.
