WASHINGTON, United States – US President Donald Trump has shared an image depicting the Strait of Hormuz as US territory, days after saying he could declare the strategically important waterway part of the United States.
The image, posted by Trump on social media, showed a map of the strait labelled “New US Territory”. Okay News reports that the post came amid an ongoing dispute between Washington and Tehran over control and access to the waterway.
Speaking at an event on 14 August, Trump claimed that the US Navy was enforcing a complete blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. He said that after defeating Iran, he would declare the waterway US territory.
Trump later said in another social media post that the United States had “total control” of the strait and expressed confidence that Washington could maintain that control.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy corridors, linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. A large share of global oil and gas shipments normally passes through the narrow waterway.
Iranian officials have rejected any suggestion that the strait could become US territory. Tehran has repeatedly said it will not reopen the waterway unless the US ends its intervention and naval blockade and honours the terms of an agreement signed by the two countries on 17 June.
The dispute has added to tensions between Washington and Tehran as both sides remain at odds over the future of the waterway and the broader conflict involving Iran.
