Trump Announces Plan to Declare Strait of Hormuz U.S. Territory

President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz as U.S. territory once the conflict with Iran concludes. Speaking at events in Garden City and Long Island, New York, Trump described the current U.S. naval blockade of the strategic waterway as an unstoppable wall of steel and claimed the U.S. maintains total control over the passage.

Trump credited Operation Midnight Hammer with preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and characterized the Iranian military as severely degraded, stating that Iran is the bully of the Middle East no longer. This territorial ambition coincides with warnings from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who indicated that the U.S. would implement unprecedented economic measures against Tehran as early as next week.

Iran has rejected these claims. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated that the strait cannot be seized by military displays and that Iran does not fear such threats. Additionally, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority dismissed U.S. claims of control, asserting that the waterway remains blocked and will not reopen until Iranian conditions are accepted. The escalation has resulted in expanded naval patrols and adjustments to commercial shipping routes, which continue to operate under tight security oversight.