US President Donald Trump gestures as he departs after delivering remarks in Garden City, New York.
Day 169 | Trump says will “soon” declare Hormuz strait US territory
President Donald Trump on Friday said he would "soon" declare the Strait of Hormuz waterway part of US territory after defeating Iran.
"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," he said with a chuckle during a political rally at a police academy in New York state.
"It's true," he added.
Trump, together with ‘Israel’, launched a war against Iran on February 28 with the stated aims of ending the country's controversial nuclear program and sparking a popular uprising.
However, Iran struck back by establishing de facto control over much of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passageway for large amounts of global energy and other commodity shipping.
The United States remains locked in a stalemate with Iran over the strait, with Iran denying access to much of the civilian shipping and the US Navy mounting a blockade of Iranian ports in an attempt to cripple its economy.
"We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to," Trump the cheering crowd of supporters and police.
Araghchi says Iran “not yet decided” to restart US talks
Iran has not made any decision to resume negotiations with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, according to state media.
Araghchi said that the Islamabad memorandum of understanding declared an "end to the war," rather than a ceasefire that could be extended.
He said the agreement provided a 60-day period for negotiations toward a final deal, but accused the US of violating it, leading to renewed fighting.
Araghchi said Qatar and Pakistan are acting as intermediaries by relaying messages and maintaining contact, but stressed that this does not constitute negotiations.
"We have not yet decided to restart negotiations with the US," he said.
He also said Iran's talks with Oman are entirely separate and technical, focusing on maritime routes through the Strait of Hormuz and the movement of vessels.
According to Araghchi, previous routes are no longer viable, and Iran and Oman are working on a temporary route that could later become permanent.
He stressed that technical talks with Oman on the maritime route are separate from reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Even after a route is established, he said, reopening the waterway would depend on other conditions that the US must meet.
UAE vessel attacked in Strait of Hormuz: state media
UAE energy giant ADNOC announced that one of its vessels came under attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening, according to a statement by the company carried by state media.
“No injuries were reported, and the situation was brought under control,” the statement said.
Trump dismisses concerns over conditions on US aircraft carrier
President Donald Trump dismissed concerns Friday over living conditions and the mental health of service members on a US aircraft carrier deployed against Iran, while confirming the ship would soon rotate out.
Asked by reporters whether family members were worried about the situation on the USS Abraham Lincoln, Trump said "no, they're not."
Trump also rejected the idea that the ship -- now at sea for nine months -- had been deployed for too long. "No, no, no, not nearly enough," he said.
The president confirmed reports that the ship was due to be swapped out with another aircraft carrier, as the United States remains locked in a stalemate with Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz and the country's nuclear program.
"That ship is moving right now or very shortly and it's being replaced with another very similar ship," Trump said.
US media, including specialist military publications, have quoted multiple relatives of crew members saying living conditions have deteriorated on the Lincoln.
There have also been reports of several suicide attempts.
"A small number of mental health cases were treated with no loss of life," acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said in a statement, blaming the media for "trying to paint our warriors as victims."
Democratic lawmakers are calling for an investigation.
The massive nuclear-powered ship departed California in November 2025 for duty in the South China Sea and was rerouted to the Middle East before US-‘Israeli’ attacks on Iran that began February 28.
Jonathan Schroden, chief research officer at the Center for Naval Analyses, told AFP that carrier strike groups are generally designed for six-month deployments for reasons including sailor welfare.
Media coverage of the families' complaints creates an unwelcome new front for Trump in his attempt to sell the already unpopular war.
The Republican won a second term in 2024 partly on his insistence that he would not involve the United States in so-called Mideast "forever wars."
The Iran conflict has contributed to dragging down his poll numbers.
Among details emerging from accounts by sailors' families was that two sailors had tried to jump overboard.
The US military has said that one sailor who fell into the sea on August 3 was recovered.
The ship has five chaplains, one psychologist, one social worker, a "prevention coordinator" and a dog named Captain Fathom to support crew morale and welfare.
"The Lincoln was extended because the mission demanded it," Cao said.
"Our success depends on how we adapt."
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