President Donald Trump says he will soon declare the Strait of Hormuz United States territory, escalating a monthslong standoff with Iran over the world's most important oil chokepoint. The threat comes alongside a continued naval blockade and new economic sanctions on Tehran, while the Navy swaps out an aircraft carrier crew during an extended deployment.
President Trump said that after the US defeats Iran, "pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States," according to comments reported by CNBC — the boldest claim yet in the standoff over the waterway.
A claim built on months of escalation
Trump's position has hardened gradually. In mid-July 2026, he argued Gulf states should reimburse the US for protecting the waterway; then, on August 12, he claimed the US held total control over the strait, pointing to the near-collapse of vessel traffic as evidence of American dominance. The strait is a 21-mile-wide passage between Iran and Oman that normally carries roughly a fifth of the world's oil consumption. Its traffic has fallen to low single-digit percentages of pre-conflict levels since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in late February. Before that, the strait was an open, un-tolled international waterway.
Washington layers sanctions onto the blockade
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US will apply economic measures on Iran that have never been seen before, combining broad economic isolation with the continued blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that keeps traffic out of Iranian ports. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added that the Navy can keep the blockade going indefinitely, rotating ships as needed. Trump, separately, warned Iran that any aggression would draw a response a hundred times harder. He also said he does not care if hitting Iran's economy lands before the midterms.
Iran rejects the claims as talks stall
Iran's Revolutionary Guard has rejected the American assertions of dominance and demanded recognition of its own authority over the strait. Negotiations between the two countries have produced no meaningful progress as of August 2026.
Carrier swap ends a strained deployment
The USS George Washington strike group departed Vietnam on August 12 to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln has been deployed in the Middle East for more than 250 days, well past an expected end in May. Hegseth said reports of poor conditions aboard the Lincoln, including food shortages and declining morale, were completely misrepresented.
Sources: CNBC, InvestingLive (snippet-based), Crypto Briefing
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