US President Donald Trump has said he intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States after defeating Iran, escalating the dispute over one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes. The announcement does not itself make the strait American territory, and Trump has not explained what legal or diplomatic process Washington would use to pursue such a claim.
Trump made the remarks during a political event in Garden City, New York, on Friday, 14 August, as the US-Iran conflict continued to disrupt shipping and drive up energy prices.
Speaking about what would happen after the conflict, Trump said: “Pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.”
The president had already claimed earlier in the week that Washington had “total control” of the waterway because of the US naval blockade. He wrote on Truth Social that the United States might keep control of the strait, describing the blockade as a “wall of steel”.
Iran strongly rejects that position and insists that Washington cannot take ownership or permanent control of the waterway.
Iran rejects Trump’s Strait of Hormuz claim
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi responded by insisting that Tehran remained in control of access to the strait.
He said the waterway could not be seized through a political declaration or the deployment of an aircraft carrier, while maintaining that Iran would continue its blockade until Washington accepted Tehran’s conditions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has also said Tehran has not decided to resume negotiations with the United States.
The dispute comes after months of military confrontation between the US and Iran. The current conflict began on 28 February 2026 with US and Israeli attacks on Iran, followed by Iranian retaliation and severe disruption to commercial shipping through Hormuz.
Previous attempts to reach an agreement have failed to produce a lasting settlement. New Daily Prime reported in June that Trump had ordered further strikes on Iran as an earlier ceasefire arrangement came under increasing pressure.
Can Trump simply make Hormuz US territory?
Trump’s statement is politically significant, but a presidential declaration alone would not automatically transform the Strait of Hormuz into American territory.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea treats straits such as Hormuz as waterways used for international navigation. Ships and aircraft have rights of transit passage through such international straits under the established law of the sea.
Trump has not publicly set out a legal mechanism for changing the territorial status of the strait, nor has the White House announced a formal process for annexing it.
That means his comments should, at this stage, be treated as a statement of intention rather than a completed territorial change.
Control of Hormuz is particularly sensitive because the narrow waterway connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the wider Arabian Sea. Before the current conflict, about one-fifth of the world’s oil moved through the route, making disruption there capable of affecting fuel prices far beyond the Middle East.
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Trump tells Americans to accept higher petrol prices
Trump has also told Americans that they may have to accept higher fuel prices as part of the cost of confronting Iran.
The average US petrol price was around $4.08 a gallon on Friday, about 29 per cent higher than a year earlier, according to figures cited by Reuters. Brent crude also rose during the week as traders reacted to attacks on shipping and uncertainty over supplies.
Trump argued that paying more for fuel was justified if the military campaign prevented Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The economic consequences have nevertheless created political pressure for the White House. Trump campaigned on reducing energy costs, while opponents are expected to focus on higher prices ahead of the US congressional elections.
Shipping remains heavily restricted. Only two vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, with no visible crude oil shipments, according to ship-tracking data cited by Reuters. Before the war, more than 130 ships travelled through the route each day.
New Daily Prime previously examined the difficulty Trump faces in finding a way out of the conflict in Trump faces humiliation over Iran as exit options narrow. That report noted that control of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions remained central obstacles to a lasting settlement.
For now, Trump’s declaration has increased pressure on an already tense dispute. Whether Washington intends to turn the president’s comments into a formal policy — and how such a move could be reconciled with international law — remains unclear.
