Trump Threatens to Declare Strait of Hormuz U.S. Territory
West Asia War Escalation: Iran Fires Back as Trump Threatens to Declare Strait of Hormuz U.S. Territory Tensions in West Asia have escalated following sharp exchanges over the Strait of Hormuz, rising regional oil shipping disruptions, and fresh military activity across multiple fronts. The Battle of Rhetoric Over the Strait of Hormuz The political showdown peaked after U.S. President Donald Trump told a rally crowd in New York that, following a defeat of Iran, he would "pretty soon be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States". White House officials later sought to soften the remark, suggesting it was hyperbolic, but Tehran responded swiftly. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected the assertion via social media, declaring that the waterway "has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian". He added that control of the vital choke point cannot be established "by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an o...