President Donald Trump posted a map on social media that showed the Strait of Hormuz as a “new U.S. territory” on Tuesday.
The president’s Truth Social post came days after he floated the idea of declaring the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory as the war with Iran persists with no resolution.
The key waterway remains closed to commercial traffic due to the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran. Negotiations have not resulted in a permanent reopening of the strait so far.
Trump said declaring the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory is a “great idea” on Monday, adding that the U.S. naval blockade is now controlling the strait. He first raised the idea at a Friday rally in Nassau County, New York.
“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 told the Long Island crowd.
The 60-day window for negotiations under June’s memorandum of understanding expired — this came after the ceasefire agreement already collapsed in early July. Trump indicated he will not be seeking an extension for a ceasefire, preferring instead to strong-arm Iran into a lasting peace deal.
TRUMP SAYS ‘PRETTY SOON’ HE’LL DECLARE THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ A ‘TERRITORY OF THE UNITED STATES’
Iran and Oman, which border the Strait of Hormuz, negotiated separately from the U.S. to reopen the waterway. Iran said it had reached an agreement with Oman, but the specific details have yet to be finalized.
However, Trump threatened to “bomb the s*** out of” Oman if it “gets in the way” of fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.