Middle East

The Hill -  President Trump claimed during remarks on Long Island, N.Y., on Friday that he will make the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory, despite the fact that Oman and Iran share jurisdiction of the waterway.   “Pretty soon, I will be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said during an address highlighting his administration’s efforts to combat crime in the U.S.

The Hill -  Iran on Saturday rejected President Trump’s assertion that he could declare the Strait of Hormuz a “territory of the United States,” saying the opening and closure of the key waterway will remain up to Iran’s control.

In a post on the social platform X, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the U.S. has no authority to claim the strait, which has become a major flashpoint in the nearly six-month conflict.

“The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian,” he wrote in a post translated from Persian to English. “This strait will only be closed and opened under Iran’s command.”

He added that as long as the U.S. does “not accept the reality of defeat” and stop indulging in its “delusions,” Iran will continue to enforce its blockade of the crucial waterway carrying one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Trump floated the idea of taking control of the strait during a speech at a police academy in New York on Friday, despite the fact that it is currently under the shared jurisdiction of Iran and Oman. 

The Congressional Insider - President Trump has turned Iran’s own demand for war reparations back on Tehran, pushing a compensation fight that reaches across decades of conflict and could complicate already tense talks over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said Iran should pay compensation for Americans and others harmed in Iran-linked attacks and conflicts. He tied that demand to Tehran’s own push for war reparations in talks over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

….President Trump said he will demand payment from Iran for “all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded,” according to reporting from Reuters and other outlets. He framed the move as a direct answer to Iran’s request for war damages during talks tied to the Strait of Hormuz. The result is a new bargaining fight that mixes wartime blame, money, and diplomacy in one move.