Speaking to a gathering of law enforcement officials in New York on Friday, President Donald Trump announced plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States.
"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," Trump said, with a chuckle.
The strait is a critical chokepoint for the global supply of oil, natural gas, and fertilizer. Before the war, it served as an artery for roughly 20 percent of the global oil supply. Since February 28, the US and Israel have been at war with Iran following a series of strikes. Iran responded by restricting traffic through the waterway, and control over it has become a central sticking point in ceasefire negotiations, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
In June, the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding to halt military operations. One of its terms required Iran to make its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels. Both sides later claimed violations of the agreement, and fighting resumed by the end of the month. Just this week, the US fired on a cargo vessel it accused of attempting to reach Iranian ports.
At the rally, Trump framed the American blockade as a service to the world. "You just have to remember that what we're doing is a great service for the world. Not only for ourselves, for the world," he said. "The blockade is unstoppable. It's a wall of steel."
Iran has continued to target commercial vessels in the strait, asserting that part of the waterway falls within its territorial waters. Iran's Supreme National Security Council has demanded the US end its blockade, lift sanctions, withdraw troops, and pay reparations. Trump countered by demanding Iran pay compensation instead, even as Iran and Oman move closer to a deal on a new transit corridor through Hormuz.
The speech also carried domestic political stakes. Trump was in New York to support Republican candidates for the 2026 midterm elections, with Republican control of Congress in the balance.
While Trump spoke, violence continued elsewhere in the region. Yemen's internationally recognized government said Houthi forces fired six ballistic missiles at the Red Sea port city of al-Makha on Friday, killing at least four civilians and setting several fishing boats on fire. An unnamed military official told the AFP news agency that the death toll was at least eight, including two security personnel. The Houthis said they had targeted what they described as buildups, weapons, and warships belonging to Saudi-backed forces in the city. Separately, the Houthi-run SABA news agency cited a military source as saying the group had targeted an Aramco facility in the Saudi city of Najran with a drone. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities or Aramco. On Thursday, the Houthis said they had attacked an Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia's Jazan with two drones.
