WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has announced that he will soon declare the strategic Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States, a move that threatens to dramatically escalate tensions with Iran over the crucial waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil once flowed .
Speaking at a political rally in Garden City, New York, Trump declared, “Pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States. It’s true” . The announcement comes as the US maintains a naval blockade of the strait and prepares to unleash what officials describe as unprecedented economic measures against Tehran .
The declaration directly challenges the territorial jurisdiction of Iran and Oman, which share control over the strait. It also follows the collapse of a June ceasefire agreement that had briefly eased tensions in the six-month-old war .
The sharpening US posture against Iran was reinforced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who warned that Washington would impose financial measures next week that “have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country” . Bessent described the campaign as an “Economic Fury” aimed at crippling Iran’s financial infrastructure, targeting bank accounts, cryptocurrency portfolios, and Iranian assets worldwide .
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also stated that the US Navy has the capability to maintain its blockade of Iran indefinitely by rotating ships in and out of the region۔
