ByREUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFFAUGUST 14, 2026 22:41Updated: AUGUST 14, 2026 23:39US President Donald Trump said Friday that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory, following earlier comments to Fox News that the United States will hit Iran hard economically."Pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States," Trump told a crowd at a Garden City, New York, event honoring police.Trump said the declaration would come "after we [the US] finish defeating Iran," which he described as being "very badly defeated.""We have the blockade," he noted. "No ships get through unless we want them to."Trump added that he "built [up]" the US military, which he used "a little more than I wanted to, frankly, but that's okay.""We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon," he emphasized. "Do we agree? Can't let them."His comments came a day after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US would impose measures on Tehran that have "never been seen" as soon as next week.This is a developing story.Follow us on Google