Trump says he will declare Strait of Hormuz US territory as Iran rejects the claim

Trump's declaration

President Donald Trump told a rally at a police academy in Garden City, New York, on Friday 14 August that once Iran is defeated, he would declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory. Speaking with what reporters described as a small smile, Trump said the US had erected a "steel barrier" and that no ship could transit the strait without American permission. A White House official told Wall Street Journal journalist Brian Schwartz that the president was "joking." Two days earlier, on Wednesday 12 August, Trump had already written on his social media platform that "the US has total control of the Strait of Hormuz. I think we're going to keep it!" and that "there's nothing Iran can do about it." Tehran has called the US control claim a "lie."

After we finish defeating Iran, which is being defeated very heavily, very soon I will declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory, in essence. We have a blockade. No ship passes unless we want it to pass.

Iran's response

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi responded on Saturday 15 August with posts on X, insisting the strait "has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian" and that it "will only be opened and closed on Iran's order." He warned that as long as the US refuses to accept the reality of its defeat and continues to indulge in illusions, Iran will continue to impose a blockade.

The Strait of Hormuz cannot be conquered with a tweet, nor with an aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor with a campaign speech. Iran does not fear threats and is not intimidated by displays of force.

The strait has been locked down by Iran since the war began, while the US maintains a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Economic pressure and domestic costs

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday 13 August that the US plans to impose on Iran economic isolation "the world has never seen before," with a sanctions package expected to take effect in the coming week. Trump separately announced on Fox News a "massive economic attack" against Iran regardless of developments at sea. The conflict, which began with Israeli and American bombardments on 27 February 2026 according to oko.press (RFI dates the start to 28 February), has driven US gasoline prices up by more than 35% compared to pre-war levels as of Friday. The American Automobile Association reported prices had risen by one-third over the past year. Trump told the rally that Americans should accept paying "a little more for gasoline" and that he would "never apologize" for his decision to go to war. The conflict is unpopular, and Trump's approval ratings have suffered from household discontent over the cost of living. Vice President JD Vance offered a somewhat different tone in a separate speech.

Collapsed ceasefire and stalled negotiations

The US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in April through Pakistani mediation, and a memorandum of understanding was announced by mediators on 14 June, intended to bring the conflict to a formal end within 60 days of signing. The MOU declared "immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts." That 60-day deadline expires on Monday 17 August. The agreement's provisions on the Strait of Hormuz were so imprecise that it quickly unravelled. Hostilities resumed on 6 and 7 July, when Iran re-closed the strait, claimed passage fees and fired on commercial ships. On 25 July, the Revolutionary Guards said they had stopped four ships after warning shots. On 31 July, Iran stopped two vessels while four tankers turned back. On Saturday 1 August, Trump cancelled planned strikes on Iran, saying the US had been asked by Iran and by other Middle Eastern countries to hold off on any attack, and that a deal would have to include the immediate, complete and total opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran's nuclear threat. Trump said the "parameters of a deal has been agreed to."