US President Donald Trump said Friday that he would "soon" declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory. Speaking at a rally at a police academy in Garden City, New York, Trump stated, "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." He added, "It's true."
It remains unclear whether his remarks were serious or signal a policy shift in Washington's war against Tehran, which has lasted over five months. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi dismissed Trump's comments, asserting that Iran "will not be intimidated" and that the strategic waterway will remain under its control.
The US and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28. At the time, senior White House officials, including Trump, claimed the goal was to end Iran's nuclear program and spark a popular uprising for regime change. Iran responded by targeting US allies in the Middle East with drone and missile strikes and imposing a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's oil and LNG shipments passed before the war.
The US countered with its own naval blockade of Iranian ships and ports, leading to a months-long stalemate and soaring energy prices. Rising oil and gas costs and the economic fallout from the war are likely to be key issues in the November midterm elections.
At the rally, Trump also urged Americans to accept higher gasoline prices, calling it a "tiny little bit more" as a worthy price for preventing "a very evil country" from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He boasted, "No ships get through (the US blockade of Hormuz) unless we want them to."
Trump dismissed concerns about living conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which has been deployed to the Middle East for nine months. Relatives of service members reported difficult conditions and deteriorating mental health, including suicide attempts. Trump insisted the deployment was "not nearly enough" and confirmed the ship would be replaced by a similar vessel.
Source: www.dw.com