Middle East and Africa
An unnamed White House official later clarified that Trump was joking, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Vessels are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on Aug. 10, 2026. (AFP/Atta Kenare)
United States President Donald Trump said Friday he would "finish defeating" Iran and "soon" declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory.Trump has repeatedly said that the key energy waterway, which Tehran effectively closed at the start of the Middle East war, is under US control, an assertion the Islamic republic denies.
"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," he said with a chuckle during a political rally at a police academy in New York state.
