Trump to declare Strait of Hormuz as U.S. territory

The U.S. currently maintains a naval blockade of the critical waterway, through which as much as 20% of the world's oil supply flows.

By Ben Whedon

Published: August 14, 2026 4:33pm

President Donald Trump on Friday stated that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz as U.S. territory after the end of the Iran war.

Trump made the remarks during a speech at the Nassau County Police Academy in New York.

"And after we finish defeating Iran... pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States," he said, to raucous applause.

The U.S. currently maintains a naval blockade of the critical waterway, through which as much as 20% of the world's oil supply flows. Iran, meanwhile, has harried commercial vessels moving through the Strait.

The war began in late February with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The conflict was in a state of nominal ceasefire for weeks until the breakdown of negotiations.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.