Speaking at a Long Island police academy, Donald Trump said he would 'pretty soon' declare the Strait of Hormuz, an internationally navigable waterway bordered by Iran and Oman, a US territory, citing an ongoing American blockade restricting which ships pass through. The remark came six months into the war with Iran, with peace talks stalled and Tehran refusing to reopen the strait absent US compensation, sanctions relief, and an unconditional release of frozen assets.
Trump claimed Iran is 'being very badly defeated' and had earlier posted that the US has 'total control' over the strait and intends to keep it. Gasoline prices have risen sharply during the conflict, which Trump acknowledged, telling Americans paying more at the pump that it's worth it to stop what he called the top state sponsor of terror from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
It remains unclear whether the territorial claim reflects an actual policy shift or an off-the-cuff remark, and the administration has offered no clarification on how it would enforce sovereignty over a strait it does not own.
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