President Donald Trump said Friday in New York that the United States would claim the Strait of Hormuz after defeating Iran. He gave no legal or procedural details.
Trump spoke at the Nassau County Police Academy in Garden City on Long Island. The White House published video of the August 14 speech.
The remarks deepened a dispute between Washington, the US capital in North America, and Tehran, Iran’s capital in West Asia.
“Pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said. He also claimed that a US blockade controlled shipping through the waterway.
In his speech in New York on August 14, 2026, President Trump said that after defeating Iran, the United States would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz to be U.S. territory. A video clip from the speech is attached.
As long as the United States has complete, 100% control over… https://t.co/BlEHXUXW5v pic.twitter.com/xAIyhJGLeY
— United States Position（U.S. P） (@WizarGod) August 15, 2026However, the White House video page did not provide any policy document supporting the proposed territorial claim. Trump did not explain how Washington would implement it.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi rejected Trump’s remarks on X.
He said no country could seize the strait through a decree, an aircraft carrier, a social media post or a campaign speech. The waterway lies between Iran and Oman. It connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
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The International Maritime Organisation says international-navigation straits cannot close under international law. It also says countries cannot impose tolls or discriminatory transit conditions.
The IMO says Iran and Oman have jointly operated the strait’s shipping corridor since 1968. Meanwhile, the US Energy Information Administration recorded average oil flows of 20 million barrels daily in 2024.
That accounted for about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption. The agency said the route also carried about one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas trade during 2024.
