Former US President Donald Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz US territory at a rally in South Carolina supporting Senator Darline Graham on August 21, 2026. He said, "Because I now consider the Strait of Hormuz as US territory, it is US territory," emphasizing US control via a military blockade that stops any ship from passing without US consent [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
During the rally, Trump joked, "It is Friday night. We have time. What else do I have to do? Go back and bomb Iran a little bit more?" He also predicted that energy prices would fall below recent levels once the conflict with Iran ends [1, 2, 3, 4, 6].
Trump stated that the US has imposed a naval blockade to prevent Iranian shipping and ports from obtaining nuclear weapons. He expressed liking the idea of declaring the Strait as US territory and referred to the blockade as controlling the waterway [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
Trump previously made similar claims on August 17 in New York, saying the US effectively blocks the Strait of Hormuz and no ships can pass without US permission [1, 2, 3, 4, 6]. He also posted a map on social media labeling the Strait as "new US territory" [1, 2, 3, 4, 6].
At the August 21 rally, Trump read the poem "The Snake" as part of his speech [1, 2, 3, 6].
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi denounced Trump’s declaration as "delusional," stressing that the Strait of Hormuz is under Iranian sovereignty and will only reopen under Iranian authorization. He said, "Tehran will never be intimidated by such threats." [1, 2, 3, 4, 6]
The US military continues to enforce a naval blockade against Iran at the Strait of Hormuz region [4, 5, 6].
