Trump again claims Strait of Hormuz as US territory, Iran warns it stays shut
US President Donald Trump has once more posted a map depicting the Strait of Hormuz as American territory, while Iranian officials say the waterway will remain closed until Washington changes its behaviour.
US President Donald Trump has again shared a map on Truth Social depicting the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz as "new American territory". The same map was previously posted on 18 August, and Trump first floated the idea of the strait becoming US territory on 15 August at a rally in New York, saying that after Iran's defeat he would soon declare the strait to belong to the United States.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important shipping routes — before the war began, roughly one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas exports passed through it. Iran maintains it controls the strait, while Trump insists the United States fully controls the passage. Tehran has kept the strait closed since the war started, and the dispute with Washington over reopening conditions continues.
Iran's response
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said on Saturday that the strait would stay closed until the US fulfils its commitments and changes its "behaviour". Separately, an official Iranian account described the US state of California as "new land belonging to Iran", and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi pushed back against Trump's claims.
Rezaei warned other countries against joining US economic measures against Tehran, saying any nation taking part in sanctions against Iran would be considered an enemy and that Iran could target their interests. He noted Iran has so far struck only US military bases, but warned that if economic sanctions are imposed, Iran could target US oil companies and other business interests abroad.
In June, Tehran and Washington signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war and paving the way for a broader agreement, but the process later stalled over implementation disagreements and disputes about navigation arrangements in the strait. Talks between Iran and Oman on regulating traffic through the waterway continue without a breakthrough so far.
