Trump signals plan to claim Hormuz ‘soon’

US President Donald Trump declared on Friday that he would "soon" declare the strategic Strait of Hormuz a US territory once Iran is defeated, despite fresh attacks on Emirati oil tankers causing maritime traffic in the vital waterway to come to a near standstill. Urging Americans to accept slightly higher gasoline prices to prevent Iran from going nuclear, Trump claimed that the US blockade prevents ships from passing through the strait unless the US wants them to.

The United Arab Emirates accused Iran of attacking two state-owned commercial vessels in the strait, leading to a slowdown in shipping. With commercial transit severely disrupted, the US vowed to maintain an indefinite naval blockade of Iranian ports and impose historic economic pressure on Tehran. Vice-President JD Vance acknowledged that keeping fuel prices low had become Washington's most immediate concern, stating that keeping oil and gas cheap for Americans is their top priority.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States intended to inflict more financial damage on Iran, threatening unprecedented economic isolation. The conflict has shifted from preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon to controlling the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately a fifth of the world's oil supply normally passes.