Trump says he will soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he plans to soon declare the Strait of Hormuz "a territory of the United States" as he once again asserted U.S. control of the critical waterway amid the war in Iran. Trump made the extraordinary remark as he touted the success of an American naval blockade of Iranian ports that he claims has demonstrated U.S. control of the strait, a major accessway for oil shipping in the Middle East. "After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States," Trump said in an Aug. 14 speech in Garden City, New York. "Essentially that's what we have. We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to." It was unclear whether Trump's comments marked a new policy position or just his latest escalation in rhetoric over the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman along the coasts or Iran and Oman. Trump claims the United States has opened the strait to all commercial ships other than those from Iran, crippling Iran's economy because of its reliance on oil exports. Iran has rejected Trump's characterization of the strait, asserting it is instead under the "complete management and control" of Iran and that no commercial ships can go through without Iran's permission. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, quickly rejected Trump's latest comments. "The Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech. Iran neither fears threats nor cowers before displays of power," Gharibabadi said in a statement. Since a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran to negotiate an end to war fell apart in July, Iran has resumed attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz that Gharibabadi says does not have permission to access the channel. The United Arab Emirates blamed Iran for Aug. 13 drone strikes on two tankers as they sailed through the Strait of Hormuz. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has said the U.S. military has the capability to maintain a naval presence "indefinitely" in the Middle East to enforce its blockade of Iran. "Indefinitely, the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we'll rotate ships in and out, as we have, and we'll continue to," Hegseth told reporters Aug. 13 during a trip to Panama. In his remarks in New York, Trump also addressed high gas prices as a result of the war in Iran, saying he will "never apologize" for his decision to attack Iran and arguing the cause of the war is worth the higher costs. The high gas prices, which remain above $4 nationally for a gallon of regular gas, pose a major problem politically for Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections. "For you to pay a tiny, little bit more for you're gasoline, just remember," Trump said, it's so "a very evil country" can't have a nuclear weapon. "When you have to pay a little bit more, you're at $4, it's OK ‒ I mean, I will never apologize, I did the right thing," Trump said. "You just have to remember that what we're doing is a great service for the world." Contributing: Reuters.