US President Donald Trump said on August 14 that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory after what he described as defeating Iran. He made the statement during an event in Garden City, New York, amid the ongoing conflict between Washington and Tehran.
Trump also claimed that the US has a blockade in place and that ships can only pass when Washington allows them. The Strait of Hormuz is a major global energy route, with around 20% of the world’s oil and LNG shipments normally passing through it.
Iran rejected Trump’s statement and said the waterway would remain under Iranian control. Iranian officials said the US cannot simply claim the strait as its territory. A senior White House official later said Trump was joking and had not discussed such a plan with his advisers, adding uncertainty about whether the statement represents actual US policy.
