Donald Trump Says US Will Declare Strait of Hormuz ‘US Territory’ After Iran War Ends
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory once military operations against Iran conclude.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory once military operations against Iran conclude. Speaking at a event in New York, President Trump asserted that American naval forces already maintain effective control over the strategic waterway through an ongoing blockade of Iranian ports.
"After we finish defeating Iran... pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States," Trump said during his address, adding that no maritime vessels pass through the passage without U.S. authorization. Iran Says Strait of Hormuz Will Not Reopen Until US Continues Naval Blockade.
The declaration represents a sharp rhetorical escalation over the narrow chokepoint, through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s seaborne petroleum flows. While the President defended the U.S. military strategy as necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, he did not detail the legal mechanism or international framework by which such a territorial claim would be executed.
Iran Rejects US Claims
Iranian officials swiftly dismissed President Trump’s remarks, asserting Tehran’s historical authority over the body of water.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, stated via social media that the waterway remains under Iranian control and that operations within the strait would continue strictly under Tehran's command. Senior Iranian military commanders also countered Washington's assertions, describing claims of full U.S. operational authority over the strait as inaccurate. Donald Trump Claims US Has ‘Total Control’ of Strait of Hormuz, Calls Naval Blockade a ‘Wall of Steel’.
The rhetoric comes after months of military friction and diplomatic gridlock in the Middle East, which began following a fresh wave of hostilities earlier this year. The regional instability has severely restricted commercial shipping through the Persian Gulf, raising international concerns over global energy supply security and contributing to fluctuations in global fuel prices.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 15, 2026 08:38 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
