Trump Says He'll Claim the Strait of Hormuz as US Land — Here's What That Means

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would "pretty soon" declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States. This raised tensions with Iran just as a diplomatic agreement between the two countries was about to expire on Sunday, August 16, 2026 (Al Jazeera).

Speaking at a police academy in New York, Trump claimed the strait is "essentially" already US territory because of the naval blockade the United States has maintained against Iranian ports since the war began on February 28. "No ships get through unless we want them to," he said (Al Jazeera). Trump also framed the declaration as something he would pursue after "defeating Iran" and urged Americans to accept paying "a tiny amount" for oil (ABC News, Australia).

The remarks, first reported on August 13 and 14 by multiple outlets, built on earlier statements. CBS News reported that Trump said on Wednesday the US has "total control" over the strait, a claim Iran has disputed (CBS News). NBC News and The Guardian both reported the "territory" framing, with The Guardian noting it came as Trump's administration struggled to conclude the war with Iran (NBC News; The Guardian). CBC News noted it was unclear how seriously Trump meant the remark (CBC News).

Iran's response was swift and pointed. Iran's head of judiciary called Trump's remarks "nonsense," branded the US president as "criminal and feather-headed," and insisted the strait belongs to Iran. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the Strait of Hormuz "cannot be seized by tweet, aircraft carrier, order, or election speech" (Al Jazeera).

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow strip of water between Iran and Oman. It is one of the most important passageways in the world for oil and other goods. Think of it as a toll booth on a highway: almost everyone shipping oil out of the region has to pass through it. The United States has maintained a naval blockade against Iran's ports during the ongoing war, which began on February 28. Iran, in turn, has blocked passage through the strait to use it as leverage — meaning a way to pressure the other side (Al Jazeera).

The timing adds pressure. A memorandum of understanding — a formal but non-binding agreement — signed between Washington and Tehran in June was set to expire on Sunday, August 16, the day after Trump's police academy speech. The expiration removes one of the few formal agreements between the two countries since the war began, leaving nothing in place to replace it unless a new deal is reached.

Several factors make a US claim over the strait difficult. Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), international straits like Hormuz must stay open to all countries' ships. The countries bordering the strait have rights over the waters near their coast, but they cannot block other nations from passing through. The United States has not signed UNCLOS but has long treated its rules as binding anyway, because they are so widely accepted that they function as law.

Neither Iran nor Oman, the two countries that border the Strait of Hormuz, has given up or recognized any outside country's claim over those waters. Iran's claim to its portion of the strait goes back long before the current conflict. A US declaration of ownership would therefore have no standing in existing international law and would likely face opposition not only from Iran but from other countries whose shipping depends on the waterway.

The broader context here is that Trump's statement could be either a real policy change or a way to pressure Tehran as the June agreement expires. The US naval blockade already gives Washington actual control over what passes through the strait. A formal declaration of ownership would not change what is happening on the water but would change how that control is described legally and diplomatically. That description matters: calling the strait US territory rather than a temporary military zone raises the stakes for any country or company trying to sail through or challenge the blockade.

Gharibabadi's phrasing — "cannot be seized by tweet, aircraft carrier, order, or election speech" — captures the core of Iran's argument: that military control, however strong, does not equal legal ownership under international law. Iran's judiciary chief went further, calling Trump "criminal and feather-headed," a signal that Tehran's leadership is not treating the statement as empty talk.

The expiration of the June agreement on August 16 removes the last negotiated bridge between the two sides since the fighting began six months ago. Whether either side seeks a replacement, or whether the conflict shifts to being defined by military action on the water rather than diplomatic agreements on paper, will shape the direction of the war and its impact on global energy markets in the weeks ahead.