Trump teases stunning move for Strait of Hormuz: 'US territory'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said on Friday, August 14, he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz “a territory of the United States,” escalating his push for control of the waterway.

The proposal would turn Trump’s blockade of the waterway into an extraordinary territorial claim tied directly to his ongoing Iran war.

He made the remarks in Nassau County, New York, while highlighting his administration’s crime efforts.

Trump links territorial claim to Iran war

“And 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.

He then described the blockade as “a wall of steel,” adding, “The blockade is unstoppable.” 

Trump also said, “No ships get through unless we want them to,” tying his territorial suggestion directly to the control he said the United States already exercises over the waterway.

Trump framed the broader military campaign around preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

“We can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” he said, adding that US action had been necessary because Iran otherwise “would have had a nuclear weapon.”

He also sought to justify higher gasoline prices as a cost of the campaign.

“So for you to pay a tiny little bit more for your gasoline, just remember you're doing it so that a very evil country cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said, before saying he would not apologize for the military action.

Iran pushes back and seeks spill compensation

A statement from Tehran on Thursday stated that the Strait of Hormuz is “under Iran's control and management” after Trump said the United States had “total control” over the waterway.

Trump also wrote on Truth Social Wednesday, “I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT,” referring to the strait.

Iran has also appeared to demand compensation for an oil spill that washed up on Qeshm Island, in a waterway where a foreign bulk carrier appeared to be the source of the slick. 

The dispute comes as the administration describes the blockade as part of its pressure campaign against Tehran.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said new measures against Iran are expected next week and warned of economic isolation “like the world has never seen before.”

“It will be a combination of economic isolation, as the world has never seen before,” Bessent told Newsmax.

Scott Bessent signals more pressure next week

Bessent said the economic measures would be paired with physical pressure on Iranian ports, describing a two-pronged approach involving financial pressure and the blockade.

“The continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz ... will keep anything from going in or out of the Iranian ports,” he said, adding, “Watch this space for more announcements coming next week.”

His comments marked a tougher stance than his remarks on August 4, when he told CNBC that an agreement with Tehran to reopen the strait could be reached within days.

Vice President JD Vance had earlier said the administration’s top priority in the Iran war was bringing oil and gasoline prices down for Americans, with preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon ranking second.