Trump proposes declaring Strait of Hormuz United States territory

On Friday, August 14, Donald Trump said he plans to claim the Strait of Hormuz as United States territory once the war with Iran ends. He made the statement in Garden City, New York. The strait sits between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Iran and Oman currently share legal control of the waterway under international law. Trump said the U.S. is already blocking the strait and deciding which ships can pass through. He gave no details about how he would carry out such a plan. It was not clear if the remark was serious policy. The U.S. and Israel have been fighting Iran since February 2026. Iran's deputy foreign minister responded with defiance. The strait normally carries around 20 percent of the world's oil supply.