War in Iran: Donald Trump Claims the Strait of Hormuz as American Territory

A map to claim a strait. Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday, August 18, an image presenting the Strait of Hormuz as a new territory of the United States. The stylized map surrounds the maritime passage located between Iran and Oman, without further comment. This publication comes four days after a statement made at a police academy in Garden City, New York. The American president had then claimed that he would soon declare the strait American territory after finishing off Iran.

Key Points

• Donald Trump shared a map presenting the Strait of Hormuz as a new territory of the United States and claims to have total control over it.
• The strait, at its narrowest point, is 33 kilometers wide and is governed by the transit passage rights of the UNCLOS, with approximately 20 million barrels passing through daily.

Donald Trump claims to control the Strait of Hormuz.

During his speech on August 14, Donald Trump justified this potential claim by the American military presence in the region. According to him, the blockade would already allow the United States to decide which ships are permitted to pass through the strait.

When questioned again a few days later, he expressed his liking for the idea of making it American territory and having total control over the passage. These statements reflect Donald Trump's position but do not establish the existence of recognized American territorial control.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected this claim. He stated that the strait has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian, adding that it cannot be seized by a publication, an aircraft carrier, or a decree.

However, this response also presents a disputable view of the status of the passage. The strait does not solely belong to Iran: it separates the Iranian coasts from the Musandam Peninsula, which is part of the Sultanate of Oman. Maritime traffic routes were actually proposed jointly by both countries before their adoption by the International Maritime Organization in 1968.

A claim without basis in international law.

A publication on Truth Social or a presidential statement cannot alter territorial sovereignty. The Strait of Hormuz is considered a passage used for international navigation. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea guarantees a right of transit passage to vessels of all states.

The International Maritime Organization reminds that riparian countries cannot close such a strait or unilaterally impose tolls or discriminatory conditions. Therefore, a military presence, even accompanied by de facto control over certain movements, does not create any title of sovereignty.

The economic stakes explain the significance of these statements. Before the war, more than a quarter of the oil traded by sea and about 20% of the world's liquefied natural gas trade passed through Hormuz, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Disruptions have reduced flows and supported oil prices. The EIA forecasts an average Brent price close to $85 in the third quarter of 2026, before a possible decline to $78 in the fourth quarter if traffic and production gradually restart.

The map published by Donald Trump does not turn the Strait of Hormuz into American territory. It mainly extends a pressure strategy on Iran regarding a passage essential to global energy trade. As long as no agreement guarantees the sustainable resumption of navigation, the main effect will remain economic: a constrained oil supply and prices exposed to each new escalation. The American president loves to provoke and spark heated controversies, and this is yet another one to add to his record.