Trump Labels Strait Of Hormuz ‘New US Territory’ In Truth Social Post

United States President Donald Trump has posted an image on Truth Social labelling the Strait of Hormuz as “NEW U.S. Territory,” the latest in a series of increasingly bold claims about American control over the strategic waterway at the centre of the ongoing conflict with Iran.

The graphic, posted on Tuesday, showed a map of the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, with the strait circled beneath a banner reading “NEW U.S. Territory.”

The post came hours after Trump threatened to bomb Oman if it interfered with American efforts over the strait, and as Iran’s top negotiator declared the waterway would remain shut until Washington met the conditions of the June ceasefire deal.

The claim has no basis in international law.

The Strait of Hormuz lies within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, and is governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which guarantees the right of transit passage through international straits to all nations.

The UN shipping agency has already said there is no legal basis for the United States to impose mandatory tolls or claim territorial authority over the waterway.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry dismissed Trump’s claim. “Claims by US officials that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer blocked do not change the reality,” the Persian Gulf Strait Authority wrote on X.

“The Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran’s conditions are accepted.”

Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of American control over Hormuz since the conflict began, earlier proposing a 20 per cent fee on all cargo shipped through the strait under what he described as the United States’ role as “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait.”

The UN shipping agency said it strongly opposed any such fees and that there was no legal mechanism to impose them.
Before the war, roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through Hormuz daily.

Vessel traffic through the strait has fallen by more than 90 per cent since the conflict began in February, with just 13 ships recorded passing through over the weekend according to maritime tracking firm MarineTraffic.