Strait of Hormuz
Trump claims Strait of Hormuz is new US territory
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
US President Donald Trump posted on Tuesday an image on his platform Truth Social depicting the Strait of Hormuz as a new American territory.
The image displays the text “NEW U.S. TERRITORY” across the top, while the Strait of Hormuz is circled in the foreground.
The post follows remarks Trump made on Friday, where he threatened to formally declare the critical energy corridor American territory. When asked about this on Monday, he claimed the US already controls it.
Deputy Iranian Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi responded to Trump’s earlier remarks stating in an X post: “The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian.”
یکبار برای همیشه واقعیت را بپذیرید: تا اینجا، شکست های راهبردی و سنگینی خوردید؛ تنگه هرمز ایرانی بوده، هست و خواهد بود؛ این تنگه فقط ذیل فرمان ایران بسته و باز خواهد شد و مادامی که واقعیت شکست را نپذیرید و دست از اوهام پردازی برندارید، ایران به إعمال محاصره ادامه خواهد داد.(۲)
— Gharibabadi (@Gharibabadi) August 14, 2026
The exchange marks an escalation in the conflict that erupted in late February 2026, following joint US-‘Israeli’ strikes on key Iranian military and nuclear facilities.
Immediately following the initial attack, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared the Strait closed, which led oil prices to skyrocket worldwide. While the closure of Hormuz eased since the April ceasefire, it remains under the control of Iran, despite Trump’s repeated threats of annexation.
