President Donald Trump stated on X/Twitter Tuesday afternoon that the Strait of Hormuz is US territory, according to reports by journalists Yair Goldblatt and others. The tweet formalizes the territorial claim he first raised during an Oval Office event Monday evening. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi responded Tuesday afternoon, mocking the declaration and warning that 'we will correct his illusions.'
The Strait of Hormuz declaration began taking shape Monday evening (Aug 17) when President Trump was asked about declaring the waterway US territory during an Oval Office event. According to journalist Tal Sagi, Trump responded: 'It's a great idea. We control it through the effective blockade. We take millions of barrels of oil from there every week. The strait is open. Oil prices continue to drop. Iran is in big trouble. They have high inflation and their military is completely defeated.'
On Tuesday (Aug 18), Trump formalized the claim via a post on X/Twitter stating: 'Strait of Hormuz – new American territory,' as reported by multiple sources including journalist Yair Goldblatt. The move follows weeks of escalating U.S. naval dominance in the Persian Gulf. As The Zioneer reported earlier Tuesday, the President characterized the designation as a logical extension of ongoing U.S. operations in the region.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi responded Tuesday afternoon, mocking the declaration on social media. 'As Trump correctly wrote the name of the eternal Persian Gulf, soon his illusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will be corrected – or we will correct the illusions of this delusionist,' Gharibabadi wrote, according to reports.
5 developments
- DevelopingIRGC Navy commander declares Strait of Hormuz closed, claims full control over all traffic
- DevelopingIRGC insists on Strait of Hormuz authority after Trump declares US as 'guardian'
- StrongIRGC rejects American proposal, vows to maintain control of Strait of Hormuz
- ConfirmedIRGC spokesperson denies any talks with US, asserts full control over Strait of Hormuz
Source and signal
- Open-source intake