Trump says he will soon declare Strait of Hormuz a US territory

US President Donald Trump said he would "soon" declare the Strait of Hormuz part of United States territory after defeating Iran. According to The Korea Times, Trump made the remarks during a visit to a police academy in Garden City, New York, asserting America's control of the crucial waterway through its naval blockade.

The Strait of Hormuz is a key shipping route for oil, natural gas, and other commodities, with one out of every five barrels of the world's oil exports passing through it before the US and Israel launched a war on February 28, as reported by Free Malaysia Today and Channel News Asia. Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the strait would be opened and closed only under Iran's command, and that Iran would continue to enforce a blockade, as reported by Channel News Asia and Free Malaysia Today.

Iran has called on the US to accept defeat, while Trump has blasted Iran as "evil" and urged Americans to brace for continued high fuel prices, according to Al-Monitor and Free Malaysia Today. The comments suggest the warring parties remain far apart, with progress towards peace talks and oil tanker traffic through the strait halted.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Vibes, Channel News Asia, Free Malaysia Today, The Korea Times, Al-Monitor — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.