WATCH VIDEO BELOW
President Donald Trump has apparently looked at the Strait of Hormuz, surveyed the U.S. Navy’s handiwork and arrived at a very Trumpian conclusion: Maybe we should just keep the place.
During his Long Island appearance Friday, Trump stunned the crowd by suggesting the strategic waterway could eventually become American territory once the war with Iran is finished.
“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. “Yeah, essentially, that’s what it is.”
Then he explained his reasoning in even plainer terms.
“We have the blockade — no ships get through unless we want them to.” The White House subsequently indicated Trump was joking about literally annexing the strait, according to reporting citing a senior administration official who said there have been no discussions with advisers about such a move.
The joke, however, comes with some very serious firepower behind it.
The United States is currently maintaining a naval blockade aimed at Iran, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that the military has the capability to sustain the operation “indefinitely.” Trump had already declared earlier in the week that the United States has “total control” of Hormuz and added: “I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!”
Iran, needless to say, has a rather different interpretation. Iranian officials insist the strait remains under their control, while shipping through one of the world’s most important energy corridors has slowed dramatically amid the conflict.
And Washington is turning up the pressure beyond the blockade. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that Iran will face an unprecedented new round of economic measures next week — part of what he described as a “one-two punch” of military and financial pressure.
Trump acknowledged Friday that he has used the military “a little bit more than I wanted to,” but said there is one overriding objective.
“We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. Do we agree? Can’t let it.”
WATCH THE CLIP BELOW.
TRUMP: “Pretty soon I will be declaring the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States.” pic.twitter.com/QWZSbu32Hi
— Conservative War Machine (@WarMachineRR) August 14, 2026
WIRE SOURCES
- New York Post: Trump says he’ll declare Strait of Hormuz a US territory after defeating Iran
- New York Post: US will hit Iran economically in ways ‘that have never been seen’ next week
- Reuters: Trump says US has ‘total control’ over Strait of Hormuz
- Reuters: Hormuz traffic slows further as US threatens more economic pressure on Iran
