Trump Claims Strait of Hormuz as New U.S. Territory

President Donald Trump ignited a diplomatic dispute on August 19 by posting an image on Truth Social claiming the Strait of Hormuz would become NEW U.S. Territory after the current war ends. The White House amplified the claim by reposting the image on X. This escalation occurred as peace talks between Washington and Tehran stalled following a June memorandum of understanding, with both nations disagreeing over navigation rights in the waterway.

Iran responded through social media, with an official account in Hyderabad posting a map labeling California as the NEW TERRITORY OF ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi condemned Trump's assertions as delusions.

The tension extended to regional allies on August 20, when Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Iraqi Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi engaged in a public social media dispute over whether the body of water is the Persian Gulf or the Arabian Gulf. The clash followed a meeting in Baghdad where al-Halbousi sought special status for Iraq to export oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian consulates in Najaf and Hyderabad intervened to support the Persian Gulf nomenclature, with the Najaf office citing a 1936 Iraqi government guide to validate the term.