Trump threatens to make the Strait of Hormuz a US territory: Can he?

What the report says

President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States, repeating a threat made amid the ongoing US-Iran confrontation over the strategic waterway, Al Jazeera reported. The strait, which lies between Iran and Oman, is a major global shipping route for oil and gas, and the article said the US and Iran remain locked in a military and diplomatic standoff over access to it.

According to Al Jazeera, Trump also suggested that the strait was already effectively under US control because of a naval blockade, while Iranian officials rejected his remarks and insisted the passage belongs to Iran. Tehran has said it is negotiating with Oman on maritime traffic in the area, but has linked any reopening of the waterway to US steps including removing the blockade and sanctions. The article noted that some ships have still been able to transit the strait despite the blockade claims.

The report questioned whether Trump could legally or practically annex the strait. It said sovereignty cannot be transferred by presidential declaration alone, and quoted legal experts saying formal annexation would require congressional or treaty approval and could raise international-law concerns. Al Jazeera also placed the comments in the broader context of the war, rising oil prices, and domestic pressure on Trump, while noting that international law generally recognizes the right of passage through narrow straits like Hormuz.