President Donald Trump announced on August 14 that the United States intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory following the conclusion of the ongoing conflict with Iran.
The declaration, made during a speech in New York, marks a dramatic escalation in US rhetoric regarding one of the world’s most strategically vital waterways. “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 with a chuckle. “Essentially that’s what we have. The blockade – no ships get through.”
Geopolitical Implications
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between Iran and Oman, is the world’s most important oil chokepoint. Roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas transited the strait before the conflict began. Iran effectively closed the waterway to shipping traffic after the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, sending oil prices soaring and giving Tehran significant leverage in negotiations.
Trump’s comments came as the US military launched strikes on Iran for the seventh consecutive night, targeting bridges and energy infrastructure in the southern Hormozgan province. Iranian officials reported at least 46 people killed and more than 400 wounded in recent US strikes.
International Reaction
The threat to annex the strait is almost certain to face massive international opposition, as the waterway is considered international territory under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Gulf states, including US allies like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, depend on the strait for their own energy exports and have repeatedly called for its reopening.
Iran has not yet officially responded to Trump’s annexation threat, but senior Iranian officials have previously stated they would use “all available tools” to defend their sovereignty. The country’s Revolutionary Guard Corps has maintained control over the strait throughout the conflict, using drones and missiles to target ships attempting to transit the passage.
Military Escalation
The latest US strikes hit bridges overnight into Friday in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, killing at least seven people, Iranian state television reported. The attacks targeted Bandar Khamir, a city on Iran’s coast on the Strait of Hormuz. US officials confirmed that additional military assets, including ballistic missile defense destroyers, have been deployed to the region.
The ongoing war has already caused significant economic disruption, with OPEC cutting its 2026 global oil demand growth forecast for the fourth straight month as the conflict’s impact deepens. Crossing through the strait fell to a three-week low of just eight vessels on Thursday, according to MarineTraffic.com.
Sources: USA Today; NBC News; Al Jazeera; The Guardian; ABC7 Chicago
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