Trump calls Strait of Hormuz 'American territory', vows Iran will never get nuclear weapon
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump calls Strait of Hormuz 'American territory', vows Iran will never get nuclear weapon")
Strait of Hormuz belongs to America? Trump's claim sparks fierce Iranian response Photograph: (Combination created using images from AFP and Truth Social)
Donald Trump has made an extraordinary claim about the Strait of Hormuz, calling the strategically vital waterway "American territory". Iran has rejected the assertion, warning that Trump's claim will eventually be "corrected".
US President Donald Trump on Friday (Aug 21) renewed his warning that Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. He also made an extraordinary claim about the Strait of Hormuz, describing the strategically vital waterway as "American territory".
Speaking at a rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Trump said Washington would not allow Tehran to develop a nuclear weapon. "We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon; we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon, or you will see some very bad things," Trump said.
"We went down, and we stopped them; they will never have a nuclear weapon," he added.
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Trump claims US control over Strait of Hormuz
Trump once again claimed that Iran was eager to reach a deal with the US, but questioned whether Washington would accept an agreement at this stage.
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"They want to make a deal so badly, we don't even know if we want [a deal] because I view the Strait of Hormuz as an American territory right now, it's an American territory," he said, according to Al Jazeera.
Earlier, while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Trump said the US had "total control" over the area around the Strait of Hormuz, linking the claim to the ongoing blockade against Iran.
"We have total control of that entire region having to do with the Strait of Hormuz," Trump said. Trump added that Tehran wanted an agreement but was not prepared to accept what he considered the "right deal".
Iran rejects Trump's claim
Trump's comments drew a sharp response from Iranian officials. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Trump's claim about the waterway would eventually be "corrected", either by circumstances or by Iran.
"The gap between America's inability to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and its claim to own it is greater than the 7,000-mile distance between Washington and the Strait itself," Iran's Supreme National Security Council head Mohsen Rezaei said.
Trump had earlier shared an AI-generated image on Truth Social portraying the Strait of Hormuz as "NEW U.S. Territory".
