Trump says he views strait of Hormuz as ‘American territory’

Donald Trump called the strait of Hormuz “an American territory” on Friday, as the US continues its military blockade of Iran’s shipping and ports while Trump’s administration struggles to end its war with the country. He was campaigning for senator Darline Graham, who is running to permanently fill her late brother Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat. Later in his remarks, Trump joked about bombing Iran.

We have plenty of time,” Trump said before reciting The Snake, a poem he frequently uses at campaign rallies to underscore his anti-immigrant policies. Go back and bomb Iran a little bit more?” As of Friday, American forces have redirected 68 commercial vessels to comply with the blockade, the US Central Command (Centcom) wrote on social media. The US and Iran have failed to negotiate a peace deal as the conflict approaches the six-month mark.

The Trump administration is seeking to squeeze Iran financially, restricting access to the strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the country’s oil exports. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supply typically passes through the waterway, which is bordered by Iran and Oman. Trump threatened to declare the strait a US territory last week.

No ships get through unless we want them to,” he said during a speech at a New York police academy. He also posted an image of a map to social media labeling the waterway as a “new U.S. territory”. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, dismissed Trump’s comments as “delusions”.