Donald Trump has threatened to declare the Strait of Hormuz “a US territory” as his administration struggles to end the war with Iran. During a speech at a police academy on Long Island, New York, on Friday, the US president said he would “very soon” designate the waterway – a crucial point for global trade, through which about a fifth of the world’s maritime oil supply normally passes – as a US territory. The comment came as peace talks with Iran remain stalled. after failed negotiations, with Tehran refusing to reopen the strait, which has been virtually closed since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in February. Nearly six months into the war, there are few signs that negotiations will soon lead to peace, as Iranian officials continue to defy Trump’s demands. The United States has been blocking Iranian shipping and ports in recent months in an effort to increase economic pressure on Tehran. “After we finish defeating Iran, which is being badly defeated, very soon I will declare the Strait of Hormuz as United States territory,” Trump said Friday. “Essentially, that’s what it is. We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to.” The seriousness of Trump’s comment, and whether it signaled a new policy position for his administration, was not immediately clear. Responding on – and added that the Strait of Hormuz would only be opened or closed under the authority of Iran. Earlier this week, the president claimed the United States had “full control” over the strait and said “I think we’ll hold it” on Truth Social, even though the waterway is an internationally navigable strait bounded by Iran and Oman. Fuel prices have risen sharply since the start of the war. forcing American workers to pay significantly more at the pump. However, on Friday, Trump said that Americans who have had to “pay a little bit more for their gas” should remember that they are “doing it so that a very evil country can’t have – actually, it’s the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world – we don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon.” No. I will never apologize. “I did the right thing,” he added. Over the past six months, the Trump administration has repeatedly claimed victory in the war, saying Iran’s regime has been calling for a deal. Tehran has stood firm on its demands, saying as recently as last Saturday that it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless the United States “corrects its behavior,” “compensates fully.”[s]Iran, due to war damage, lifts sanctions and “unconditionally” releases frozen assets.
