Donald Trump Proposes Claiming Strait of Hormuz as U.S. Territory

President Donald Trump announced during campaign rallies in New York and Long Island that he intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz as United States territory following the defeat of Iran. Trump claimed that Iranian leadership is largely gone and that the U.S. would seize the strategic waterway soon. This escalation follows the collapse of a June cease-fire agreement after the U.S. and Iran failed to meet a Monday deadline to resolve Iran's nuclear program.

Iranian officials have rejected the proposal, with Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi asserting that the strait cannot be captured via aircraft carriers or tweets. Gharibabadi stated that the waterway remains under Iranian command and will stay blockaded until Washington acknowledges a strategic defeat. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf further announced that negotiations with Washington are suspended following an Israeli strike in Beirut that killed a senior Hezbollah intelligence chief.

The conflict has shifted toward economic endurance, with the U.S. reinstating oil sanctions and a naval blockade. Ship-tracking data shows a severe decline in traffic, with daily crossings dropping from over 130 to just two vessels. The United Arab Emirates has attributed attacks on two Abu Dhabi National Oil Company vessels to Iran. Domestically, Trump advised Americans to accept gasoline prices that have risen approximately 29% over the past year due to the standoff.