US President on Friday (local time) described the Strait of Hormuz as an “American territory” as Washington continues its naval blockade of Iran’s shipping and ports, while the Trump administration struggles to end its war with Tehran.
Trump reiterates claim of making Hormuz a ‘US territory’
Trump made these remarks at a rally in South Carolina, where he was campaigning for Senator Darline Graham, who is running to fill the position of her late husband, Lindsey Graham, the Guardian reported. The said, “We don’t even know if we won, because I view the Strait of Hormuz as an American territory right now.”
Before departing for Myrtle Beach, Trump spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews and claimed that the had “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz and supported the idea of declaring the strategic waterway a US territory.
He added, “We’re just going to sort of see what happens, and we have total control, as you know, of the border; we have total control — if you look at the blockade, we have total control of that entire region having to do with the Strait of Hormuz.”
His comments came a week after he threatened to declare the strait a US territory. At a political rally in New York on August 14, Trump said he would “pretty soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a “, adding, “It’s true.”
Trump says Iran should not have nuclear weapons
During his address, he later joked about bombing Iran and said, “It’s a Friday night. We have plenty of time,” and added, “What the hell do I have to do? Go back and bomb Iran a little bit more?”
The Republican President also reiterated that Iran should never have a and said, “We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon; we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon, or you will see some very bad things.” He further said, “We went down, and we stopped them; they will never have a nuclear weapon.”
He also said that Tehran was seeking a deal but cast doubt on whether the US would agree to one, while reaffirming Washington’s control over the strategically important waterway. According to Al Jazeera, he said, “They want to make a deal so badly, we don’t even know if we want [a deal] because I view the Strait of Hormuz as an American territory right now; it’s an American territory.”
US-Iran stalemate continues
Trump’s remarks come at a time when Washington and are locked in a stalemate. While the two sides have halted hostilities since earlier this month, diplomatic engagement and negotiations have also been put on hold, with Iranian officials dismissing the possibility of holding talks with their American counterparts.
As the conflict approaches the six-month mark, the Trump administration is now seeking to squeeze Iran financially by restricting access to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway for the country’s oil exports. Before the war, roughly one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supply transited through the narrow yet vital waterway, bordered by Iran and on either side.
The US President recently announced what he called the “most crushing economic operation ever taken” against Iran and warned countries providing financial, business, or government support to Tehran of “tremendous economic consequences.”
It remains to be seen whether the stalemate between the two sides will end or whether they will return to full-scale hostilities.
