United States President Donald Trump has said he plans to declare the strategically important Strait of Hormuz part of the United States following what he described as the defeat of Iran.
Trump made the statement during a political rally at a police academy in New York State, where he claimed that Iran was being “very badly defeated.”
“After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated — pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said, drawing cheers from supporters. “It’s true,” he added.
The remarks came amid the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which began on February 28.
Washington and Tel Aviv have said their military campaign was intended to halt Iran’s disputed nuclear programme and encourage opposition to the Iranian government.
The conflict has since widened into a confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime corridor through which a significant portion of the world’s energy supplies and commercial shipping passes.
Iran has responded to the offensive by asserting control over parts of the strategic waterway and restricting access for some civilian vessels, heightening concerns about disruptions to international trade and global energy markets.
The United States and Iran remain locked in a confrontation over access to the strait. While Iran has restricted movement through parts of the waterway, Trump said the US Navy had imposed a blockade on Iranian ports as part of efforts to put economic pressure on Tehran.
“We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to,” Trump told the cheering crowd.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea and is widely regarded as one of the world’s most strategically important waterways because of its role in global oil and gas transportation.
Trump’s proposal to declare the strait US territory, if pursued, would represent a major escalation in the geopolitical confrontation and could have far-reaching implications for international maritime law, regional security and relations between Washington and Tehran.
