Trump says he will declare Strait of Hormuz a US ‘territory’ amid Iran war

United States President Donald Trump has announced plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz a “territory” of his country as tensions boil with Iran.

Speaking in New York on Friday, Trump told supporters that the US would soon claim the vital waterway, which is critical for the global supply of oil, natural gas and fertiliser.

“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, with a chuckle.

Since February 28, the US and Israel have been at war with Iran, after launching a series of aggressive strikes.

But Iran responded by restricting traffic through the strait, which formerly served as an artery for roughly 20 percent of the global oil supply.

The strait was unrestricted before the war, but control over the waterway is now a major sticking point in ceasefire negotiations between the US and Iran.

It has also been the site of renewed fighting in recent months. In June, the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to bring a stop to military operations in the war, but one of the agreement’s terms was for Iran to make its “best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels”.

Both sides later claimed violations of the memorandum, and fighting resumed by the end of the month.