US President Donald Trump Friday said the United States will soon declare the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz a territory of the US, escalating his rhetoric over the waterway at the centre of the ongoing conflict with Iran.“After we finish defeating Iran… I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said at a rally in New York on Friday. He did not explain how such a declaration would be implemented or what legal implications it would have.Trump’s remarks came days after he claimed that the US had “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz and described the American naval blockade as a “WALL OF STEEL”. The waterway is a critical route for global oil and gas shipments, and disruptions to shipping through it have already pushed up concerns over energy supplies and prices.Iran rejected Trump’s threat with deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi saying the strategic waterway will remain under Tehran’s control.Gharibabadi said Iran would decide when the strait is opened or closed and would maintain what it described as a blockade until Washington accepts its “strategic defeat”.“Once and for all, accept the reality: up to this point, you have suffered strategic and heavy defeats; the Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian; this strait will only be closed and opened under Iran’s command, and as long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and cease your fanciful delusions, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade,” he posted on X.The comments also came as tensions remained high between Washington and Tehran, with the US continuing its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Trump said the blockade meant that “No ships get through unless we want them to”.Trump has repeatedly claimed that Iran has been severely weakened by the conflict, while acknowledging that it retains some missile and drone capabilities. “They still have missiles, but not a lot. They still have drones, but just a fraction of what they had,” he said.He added that Iran’s “manufacturing of missiles is 82 percent” and that its manufacturing capacity was “largely gone.” Trump also claimed that “159 ships are right now at the bottom of the sea” and said Iran had 212 aircraft, adding that “every one of their airplanes is shot down.”Trump again defended the US military campaign, saying the United States was “winning big with the Islamic Republic of Iran”. He also reiterated his opposition to Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, saying: “If we didn’t hit them, you would have had a nuclear weapon,” and adding: “They’re never going to have a nuclear weapon.”The situation in the Strait has meanwhile become more volatile. Two tankers operated by Abu Dhabi’s state-owned oil company ADNOC were attacked by drones while transiting the waterway on Thursday. No casualties were reported, but the attacks caused minor damage and prompted the UAE to accuse Iran of piracy and a violation of freedom of navigation.The attacks have further reduced commercial traffic through the strait, through which a significant share of the world’s oil supply normally passes. Iran has continued to restrict shipping, while the US has maintained its blockade and warned of further economic pressure on Tehran.
