President Donald Trump announced during a speech at a police academy in New York state on Friday that he intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States. Speaking at a political rally, Trump stated that he would "pretty soon" designate the waterway as US territory once Iran is defeated.
The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial chokepoint for global trade, through which about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies typically pass. Trump urged Americans to accept slightly higher gasoline prices as the cost of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, noting that prices have soared since Iran closed the strait in response to US and Israeli attacks.
Trump further claimed that the US has effectively blocked shipping through the strait, asserting that no ships get through unless the US wants them to. Control over the waterway has been a sticking point in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations between the United States and Iran.