&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump vows to declare Strait of Hormuz US territory after defeating Iran")
US President Donald Trump on Friday (August 15) said he would "soon" declare the Strait of Hormuz an American territory after defeating Iran.
Speaking at a political rally at a police academy in New York State, Trump said, "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," drawing a chuckle from the crowd.
"It's true," he added.
The United States and Iran remain locked in a standoff over the strait. Iran has denied access to much of the civilian shipping, while the US Navy has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in an effort to weaken the country's economy.
"We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to," Trump told the cheering crowd of supporters and police.
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Meanwhile, two slicks have emerged in Iranian waters, according to satellite imagery and video verified by Reuters. The development comes as tit-for-tat attacks by Iran and the United States on oil tankers and other vessels raise concerns about environmental damage in the Gulf.
A possible environmental disaster is also unfolding off Oman, outside the Strait of Hormuz. The grounded tanker Caroline Bezengi is leaking Russian crude oil in a protected marine area. The spill has created a huge slick that some estimates put at 2,000 square kilometres.
US says it redirects commercial ships
The US Central Command said that its ongoing military blockade of Iranian ports has redirected 62 commercial ships.
CENTCOM said the operation also disabled three ships and involved boarding two others to ensure compliance.
The command released the figures along with a photo showing a US sailor directing an "MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter during nighttime flight operations aboard guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton," as the vessel operated in the Arabian Sea while enforcing the blockade.
