Trump said the U.S. would take control of the strategic waterway after defeating Iran, while Tehran insists the strait remains under its control.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory after defeating Iran, escalating his rhetoric over the strategic waterway as Washington and Tehran remain locked in a standoff over maritime traffic.
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“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 during a political rally at a police academy in New York State. “It’s true,” he added.
Trump also said the United States was enforcing a blockade that prevented ships from passing through the area without Washington’s approval.
“We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to,” he told supporters and police attending the rally.
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The remarks came as Iran continued to reject U.S. claims that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had returned to normal.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said Thursday that the waterway remained firmly under Iranian control and that Tehran continued to determine the conditions under which vessels could pass.
“Washington’s claims that vessels are passing normally through the Strait of Hormuz are nothing but lies and fabrications,” a spokesperson for the headquarters said.
The headquarters said the conditions governing passage through the strait had not changed, rejecting Washington’s portrayal of maritime traffic as operating normally.
Washington and Tehran remain in standoff
The United States and Iran remain locked in a standoff over the waterway. Iran has denied access to much of the civilian shipping, while the U.S. Navy maintains a blockade of Iranian ports in an effort to damage Iran’s economy.
Trump and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, saying their objectives were to end the country’s controversial nuclear program and encourage a popular uprising. Iran responded by establishing control over much of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy and commodity shipments.
Iranian officials have rejected Washington’s portrayal of the waterway, arguing that U.S. military presence and public declarations have not restored unrestricted navigation without Iranian approval.
An Al Mayadeen correspondent in Tehran said Iranian officials viewed Trump’s latest remarks as an attempt to project political and rhetorical strength despite what they described as Washington’s failure to achieve its objectives.
“Iran considers Trump’s statements regarding the Strait of Hormuz to be nothing more than media hype aimed at covering up the failure of the aggression to achieve its objectives,” the correspondent said.
Tehran’s position remains that normal maritime activity through the Strait of Hormuz will not resume on the basis of U.S. declarations, with Iranian authorities maintaining that passage remains subject to their approval.
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