Trump threatens extraordinary move to claim Strait of Hormuz as US territory

President says US will take control of vital oil route after Iran is defeated

Donald Trump has announced an extraordinary plan to declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory, dramatically escalating the stakes in the confrontation with Iran.

Speaking at a rally in New York on Friday, Trump said the move would come after the US finishes defeating Iran, which he claimed was already being “very badly defeated”.

“Pretty soon, I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump told a crowd of first responders.

He added: “We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to.”

US claims blockade can continue indefinitely

Trump's extraordinary announcement came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States could maintain its blockade of Iran “indefinitely”, suggesting Washington is prepared for a prolonged confrontation.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most strategically important waterways, carrying a huge proportion of global oil supplies between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea.

Control of the strait has consequently become one of the central objectives of the conflict, with both Washington and Tehran seeking to determine what happens to shipping through the narrow passage.

Trump's comments indicate that the US may now be contemplating a much more permanent role in controlling the waterway.

A stunning escalation

Declaring the Strait of Hormuz US territory would represent a remarkable escalation and would inevitably raise enormous questions over sovereignty and international law.

Trump did not provide details of how such a declaration would be implemented or what legal authority he believes would allow the United States to claim the strategically vital waterway.

For now, it remains a presidential declaration of intent rather than an established change in the status of the strait.

But the message from Washington is unmistakable: the US does not appear prepared simply to reopen Hormuz and walk away.

Iran war becomes political problem

The comments also come at a difficult political moment for Trump.

The economic consequences of the war are mounting, while concerns over dwindling stocks of key weapons are adding to pressure on the administration.

The conflict is also becoming an increasingly important issue ahead of November's congressional midterm elections, with Republicans facing the political consequences of a war that shows no obvious sign of ending.

Trump was visiting Nassau County, where he narrowly won in 2024 after Republicans flipped the area for the first time in more than two decades.

Trump turns police rally into political show

The president had originally travelled to the Nassau County Police Academy to highlight what his administration describes as a historic fall in violent crime.

He was joined by newly confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel at the 89,000-square-foot police training and intelligence centre.

But the rally quickly became a broader political event, with Trump praising his administration, attacking “Radical left Democrats” and taking another swipe at former President Joe Biden, whom he again branded “Sleepy Joe”.

The White House said Trump's administration had delivered safer American neighbourhoods and accused Democrats of undermining law enforcement.

Hormuz now at centre of the crisis

Yet it was Trump's remarks about Iran and the Strait of Hormuz that produced the most extraordinary moment of the event.

The president is now talking not merely about keeping the waterway open, but potentially claiming it for the United States after the war.

With Washington insisting that its blockade can continue indefinitely and the economic consequences of the conflict spreading far beyond Iran, Hormuz has become the critical pressure point of the entire confrontation.

If Trump follows through on his threat, the aftermath of the Iran war could involve a battle over far more than Tehran's military defeat.

It could become a fight over who controls one of the world's most important strategic waterways — and whether America intends to control it permanently.

SOURCE

He has finally lost the plot and as usual the Yanks lapped it all up.

Forever war, forever!

😀😃😄😁😆😅😂🤣😭

He, of course, is talking out of his arse...

Trump threatens extraordinary move to claim Strait of Hormuz as US territory
MAGA Groupies on AN: Yay!!! 🎆🥳🎉
Trump invades Venezuela
MAGA Groupies on AN: Yay!!! 🎆🥳🎉
Trump threatens to invade Cuba
MAGA Groupies on AN: Yay!!! 🎆🥳🎉
Trump threatens to claim Greenland as US territory
MAGA Groupies on AN: Yay!!! 🎆🥳🎉

Russia invades Ukraine to push back on NATO's 30 year march to Russian's borders
MAGA Groupies on AN: Booo 🌭💩☹️

Lordy we live in a psychotic world, 'eh?

As usual, nothing will come from this.

It seems the world has discovered a new universal law of physics: everything happens because “Trump says.” Who needs facts, evidence, or reality when apparently all it takes is a presidential utterance to make the entire planet change direction?

The idiot in chief strikes again. Iran may not agree to Trump moving in. Donnie is trying to figure out how Trump Inc. can collect transit tolls for the orange grifter family.

there are 2 versions out there, Iranians claim full control of the strait and call Trump's posts another diversion

Iran called on the U.S. to accept defeat

"This strait will be opened and closed only under Iran's command, and so long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and stop indulging in fantasies, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade,"

Trump urged Americans to accept slightly higher gasoline prices while the conflict with Iran continues.

Iran defiant on strait as Trump tells Americans to accept high gas prices

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-urges-americans-accept-higher-203543611.html