MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trump posts a map designating the Strait of Hormuz as “new US territory”

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday posted an image on his Truth Social platform showing a map of the Strait of Hormuz circled and captioned “NEW U.S. Territory,” above a band in the colours of the American flag. The post carried no accompanying text.

The circle drawn on the image also takes in a portion of mainland Iranian territory on the northern shore of the waterway, which separates the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman. Before the conflict, around a fifth of the world's oil passed through the route.

Hours later, the president posted a second message: “There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated.”

On the same day, a merchant vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile in Omani waters of the strait as it was leaving the Persian Gulf, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency. Its engine room was damaged and the Omani coastguard was sent to rescue the crew. Commercial traffic remains far below levels seen before the conflict, which began on February 28.

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, responded to the post on X. “The Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech,” he wrote. “Iran neither fears threats nor cowers before displays of power.” Other Iranian officials dismissed the claim as nonsense.

Trump had trailed the idea on Friday at an event in Long Island, New York state. “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 said. “We have the blockade — no ships get through unless we want them to.” In the same speech he turned to Latin America: “And how about Venezuela? Venezuela was a one-day war, and now we work great with them. We've taken in millions and millions of barrels of oil.”

Since returning to the White House, the president has raised territorial claims over Greenland, the Panama Canal, Canada and Venezuela. Hormuz is a corridor of international waters bounded to the north by Iran and to the south by Oman. Claiming sovereignty over it contrasts with decades of declared US policy in favour of freedom of navigation, which Washington has defended through regular patrols in areas such as the South China Sea.