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Trump’s Hormuz “territory” bid
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would “soon” declare the Strait of Hormuz a “territory” of the United States after he finishes defeating Iran, speaking at a police academy in the New York City area’s Long Island suburbs.
““When we finish defeating … Iran, which is being defeated with great force, very soon I will declare Hormuz to be U.S. territory,” Trump said”
Trump framed the move around blockade control, saying “We have the blockade; ships don’t pass if we don’t allow it,” while the ABC report noted Hormuz had had “no traffic since the start of the war with Iran in late February.”
ABC also reported that gasoline prices in the United States remained high, with the average “above four dollars per gallon,” and said the situation in Hormuz had a direct effect on the economy.
In response, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected the idea that the strait could be taken by force or politics, saying, “The Strait of Hormuz cannot be taken via a tweet, an aircraft carrier, an order, or an electoral speech.”
Iran rejects; blockade hardens
Iran’s military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari said Tehran maintains control of the Strait of Hormuz and accused the United States of lying, telling reporters, “No ship can travel safely through the Strait of Hormuz without Iran’s permission and supervision.”
Reuters reported that Zolfaghari was responding to Trump’s claim that the United States maintains control of the strait, and it added that Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in mid-July after renewed U.S. bombardments against southern Iranian territory.
ABC News & Headlines reported that the U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. would apply measures that have “never been seen” on Iran as soon as next week, while also noting the navy had reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the Hormuz strait.
In the same reporting, Trump urged Americans to accept paying “a tiny little bit more” for fuel, tying the cost to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, as the Strait of Hormuz remained closed and Brent crude approached $US90 a barrel.
War priorities and U.S. stakes
Beyond the sovereignty fight, the sources described a U.S. internal debate over war priorities, with White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt saying maintaining low fuel prices and preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon are “of equal importance.”
“maintaining low fuel prices and ensuring that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon are of equal importance to Trump”
Al-Jazeera Net reported that Vice President Mike Pence emphasized the administration’s focus on ensuring energy supplies and stabilizing oil and gas prices, while also stressing “the second objective is to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.”
In parallel, Al-Monitor reported that the top U.S. priority in the Iran war is now to bring gasoline prices down for American consumers, quoting Vance on Fox News: “That's goal number one -- keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country.”
The same Al-Monitor account tied the shift to leverage created by Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, and it said Bessent threatened economic isolation “like the world has never seen before,” with new measures expected next week.
