US President Donald Trump said Friday that he would “soon” declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory, claiming that Iran was suffering a severe defeat.
During a political gathering at a police academy in New York state, Trump said jokingly: “Very soon, I’m going to declare the Strait of Hormuz American territory. That’s true.”
He added that the naval blockade imposed on Iran remained in place, stressing that no ships would pass unless the United States allowed them to, describing the blockade as “a wall of steel.”
Trump warned that if Iran attacked the United States, the response would be “100 times stronger.”
“We cannot allow Iran to continue on its path,” he said, adding: “If we hadn’t hit them with B-2 bombers, they would have had a nuclear weapon.”
He said he had instructed members of his administration to make “a short trip to the Middle East to avert a potential catastrophe.”
Trump said Americans paying extra for fuel was necessary “so that a very evil country does not have a nuclear weapon.”
He described Iran as “the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world.”
Trump said he had used military force “more than I wanted to,” but stressed that pressure on the Iranian regime was necessary to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Regarding his position on the war with Iran, Trump said: “I will never apologize. I did the right thing,” adding that “the war with Iran is a great service to the world, and we are doing a great job.”
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a television interview that the United States would impose unprecedented measures against Iran.
“Expect more announcements next week, because we will implement measures that have never been seen before in the history of economic isolation imposed on any country,” he said.
Trump also asserted that the United States had full control over the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting that Washington could retain that control.
Trump had also announced on July 7, 2026, that military operations on all fronts had ended. Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced a “suspension” of the operations a week later.
Iran has set six conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz to the United States, foremost among them an end to military operations, the lifting of sanctions and the blockade, the withdrawal of US forces from its vicinity, compensation for war-related damage, and the release of frozen Iranian funds. Washington, meanwhile, said Tehran had pledged not to impose fees on ships and to allow oil to flow through the strait, amid negotiations mediated by Oman over navigation arrangements.
Tehran has threatened to target infrastructure in the region if the United States carries out its threats to attack vital facilities inside Iran. It has also asked Yemen’s Houthis to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea.
The United States imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz following renewed clashes, described as the fiercest since the ceasefire between the two sides took effect in April.
Iran warned that the resumption of the naval blockade on its ports would undermine the memorandum of understanding with Washington.
The war began on February 28, when Israel and the United States attacked Iran, prompting Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war was the main waterway for nearly one-fifth of global energy supplies.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the key flashpoints in the conflict. Iran’s control of the strait has given it enormous leverage, effectively providing Tehran with a powerful bargaining chip.
AFP
