President Donald Trump described the Strait of Hormuz as “an American territory” on Friday, as the US continues its military blockade of Iran’s shipping and ports amid a stalled effort to end the war between the two countries.
“We don’t even know if we won, because I view the strait of Hormuz as an American territory right now,” Trump told a crowd in South Carolina, where he was campaigning for Senator Darline Graham, running to permanently fill the Senate seat left vacant by her late brother, Lindsey Graham.
Later in his remarks, Trump made light of the possibility of further strikes on Iran. “It’s a Friday night. We have plenty of time,” he said, before reciting “The Snake,” a poem he frequently uses at rallies to underscore his anti-immigration stance. “What the hell do I have to do? Go back and bomb Iran a little bit more?”
As of Friday, American forces had redirected 68 commercial vessels to comply with the blockade, according to a post from US Central Command (CENTCOM) on social media.
The US and Iran have failed to reach a peace agreement as the conflict nears its six-month mark. The Trump administration is now attempting to squeeze Iran financially by restricting access to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for the country’s oil exports through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supply typically passes, bordered by Iran and Oman.
Trump first floated the idea of declaring the strait US territory last week. “Essentially, that’s what it is. We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to,” he said during a speech at a New York police academy. Asked about the remark by reporters on Monday, he added: “We control it with the blockade, and I like the idea of declaring it a territory.” He also posted a map on social media labeling the waterway as a “new U.S. territory.”
