President Donald Trump told a rally at a New York police academy on August 14 that after the United States finishes "defeating Iran," he will "pretty soon" declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States [3][4][14]. Trump chuckled while making the remark and added "It's true" [4][10], though multiple outlets noted it was unclear whether the statement was serious or signaled a policy shift [5][7]. Trump described the US naval blockade as an "unstoppable" "wall of steel" through which no ship passes without American permission [9][15]. The remarks came amid a war launched jointly by the US and Israel on February 28 and a stalemate in which Iran controls much of the strait while the US Navy blockades Iranian ports [4][17].
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected the declaration, stating that the Strait of Hormuz "cannot be taken over by a tweet, nor by an aircraft carrier, nor by issuing a decree, nor by an election speech" and that "Iran is neither afraid of threats nor intimidated by a show of force" [15][9]. Gharibabadi said the waterway "will be opened and closed only under Iran's command" and that Iran will continue to enforce the blockade "so long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and stop indulging in fantasies" [17]. Iran's central military command called US claims of control "baseless lies and fabrications" [3], and IRGC Navy Rear Admiral Ali Ozmaei stated: "The Strait of Hormuz is closed. Our control over movements is complete and decisive" [22][25]. Basij paramilitary head Hossein Taeb said the strait "is under the management and control of the Islamic Republic" [18].
Iran's parliament moved to institutionalize its authority over the waterway. Parliamentary spokesperson Valiullah Bayati announced that the Councils' Commission had approved the general outline of a strategic action plan for the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf that would bar vessels belonging to the US, Israel, and other designated hostile countries from transit, on the grounds that those countries "used the Strait of Hormuz to carry out hostile actions against our country" [19][22]. Adviser to the Supreme Leader Mohammad Mokhber said the Supreme Leader's strategy would be "offensive war" if Tehran's conditions were not met, and urged implementing "the Hormuz economic-security mechanism, independent of Washington's military guarantees" [18].
Senior US officials defended the blockade as sustainable. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that "indefinitely the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we'll rotate ships in and out" [6]. Vice President JD Vance said that "keep[ing] oil and gas cheap for Americans" is "goal number one," with preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon as goal number two [6]. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened "measures that have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country," combining economic sanctions with the blockade to "keep anything from going in or out of the Iranian ports" [22][6]. Trump urged Americans to accept paying "a tiny little bit more for your gasoline" as the cost of stopping Iran's nuclear program [17].
Within the US Congress, Senator Chris Van Hollen called the war "illegal" and "Exhibit A of the limits of US power," arguing it violates the War Powers Resolution and urging Congress to withhold the $70 billion supplemental funding request rather than retroactively legitimize an unlawful conflict [11]. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded Hegseth's immediate dismissal, stating that "our brave sailors are paying the price in a horrific and unfathomable way" aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, deployed for over 260 days [22]. Representative Mike Levin said "the plans in the works to relieve the USS Lincoln are not enough" [22]. US Central Command stated that the sailors and Marines "remain resilient and resolved," and Hegseth dismissed the reports as completely misrepresented [22].
International law scholars questioned the legal basis of the territorial claim. Professor Vitelio Brustolin of UFF, a Harvard researcher, said the declaration "would be, at most, a unilateral sovereignty demand not recognized by other states" [27]. Professor Priscila Caneparo of Washington & Lincoln University called it "a mere political declaration contrary to international law" and the UN Charter [27]. Neither the United States nor Iran is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, leaving the legal baseline for sovereignty claims over the strait unresolved [27].
Gulf states condemned Iranian actions in the strait. The UAE foreign ministry described what it called a "hostile Iranian attack" on two ADNOC-affiliated commercial vessels transiting the strait [6]. Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry denounced "an unacceptable recurrence of Iranian attacks targeting commercial vessels and tankers" and held Iran fully responsible [6]. Qatar's foreign ministry called the attacks "a severe violation of international law, the freedom of maritime navigation, and a clear violation of UN Security Council resolution 2817" and demanded an unconditional opening of the strait [6].
Iranian officials set conditions for reopening the waterway. Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr stated that the strait "will not reopen until the United States corrects its behavior" and meets six Iranian demands [28]. Senior military official Rasoul Sanaei-Rad said Iran will not reopen the strait unless the other side fulfills its commitments under the interim deal [18]. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said no decision has been made to restart negotiations with the US, while confirming that Iran and Oman are conducting technical exchanges on a shipping route through the strait, separate from ceasefire talks [9][13]. President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Iran "will not stand idly by" against the US blockade and is seeking alternative trade routes through Eurasia and BRICS [28]. Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said Iran would soon join the BRICS-backed New Development Bank [22].
The blockade's effects extended beyond the combatants. Shipping data from Kpler showed only two vessels transited the strait on August 15, with no crude oil shipments visible, down from an August daily average of 12 [17][22]. The Lloyd's Market Association introduced clauses voiding insurance coverage for any vessel paying Iranian transit tolls, while Iran simultaneously demands such fees for safe passage, leaving commercial shippers with no compliant path through the strait [29]. A major oil slick washed ashore on Iran's Qeshm Island following a ship strike, with Skytruth CEO John Amos estimating the spill at well over 100,000 US gallons [30]. TankerTrackers.com co-founder Samir Madani attributed the spill to an Iranian attack on a vessel using the Omani route, calling it "a self-inflicted wound by Iran" [30].
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani warned that "for our Government the blockade of Hormuz does not represent a mere regional crisis, but rather a global shock" affecting energy and food security, particularly for African nations dependent on fertilizer exports [33]. BBC Swahili reported that fuel prices in Somalia jumped 77 percent and Kenyan Energy Minister Opiyo Wandayi met with fuel importers to create an emergency supply plan after a key UAE refinery closed [32]. Caixin analyzed that price risks to Chinese energy security from the blockade are more significant than physical supply shocks due to existing inventories [26]. A resident of Bandar Abbas told The Independent: "We're constantly terrified by the sound of explosions. The electricity and water keep being cut off" [31].
Ceasefire negotiations remain at an impasse, with a 60-day truce at risk of expiring [12]. Trump stated that Iran's "leadership is gone" and "there's nobody to negotiate with" [20]. A Quinnipiac poll cited by Al Jazeera shows 60 percent of US voters oppose the war [15].