GARDEN CITY: Donald Trump declared on Friday that he was going to designate the Strait of Hormuz passage as American territory "pretty soon," following what he termed as the victory against Iran. Speaking at a political rally event, this is one of the boldest declarations that President Trump has made concerning the current war and important waterway.
US President Donald Trump stated that once they are done with defeating Iran, who is presently getting defeated "really badly," then he would "soon make the Hormuz Strait an American territory." He made this declaration with a smile while addressing a political rally organized at a police academy located in New York State.
Responding to another query regarding his remarks, President Trump affirmed, "I'm serious about it."
A conflict was initiated by US President Donald Trump along with Israel against Iran starting from February 28. While the initial targets included the Iranian controversial nuclear programme, the conflict soon escalated into an extended struggle centred primarily around the control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran responded in kind by exercising what can be referred to as de facto control over a major portion of the Strait of Hormuz, which serves as an important channel through which substantial volumes of international oil trade flow. This brings one of the world’s most strategically crucial waterways into the midst of hostilities between the two nations.
The United States continues to be mired in a standoff with Iran over the strait. Iran refuses passage to the majority of civilian traffic moving through the strait. As a countermeasure, the US Navy has established a blockade off the coast of Iran in order to cripple its economy via persistent naval pressure.
Speaking to his enthusiastic support base along with the police force at the rally, Trump did not mince any words about the ongoing blockade. "This is what we call a blockade. The ships will only move if we allow them to," Trump said about the complete naval blockage imposed by the US Navy.
Strait of Hormuz surpasses all other strategic maritime routes globally due to massive commercial activity witnessed every day via this narrow body of water, including shipments of hydrocarbons and goods. An interruption of traffic through the Strait or a foreign territorial dispute over this region could create far-reaching consequences for global energy trading and international shipping networks as well.
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Though the statements were made at a campaign rally instead of being announced officially as policy decisions, declaring the Hormuz Strait as American soil poses a number of serious considerations. These include the challenges of implementing the idea given the international nature of the waterway surrounded by multiple sovereign states.
Given the ongoing dispute between Washington and Tehran, details on how the idea may evolve remain unclear. Nonetheless, the number of investors who own stakes in Iranian companies listed on various exchanges appears to have continued expanding. For instance, as much as $223 billion worth of investments reportedly flowed into Iran between October 2020 and September 2023.