Trump says he will declare Strait of Hormuz a US territory
During remarks on Long Island, New York, on Friday, President Trump said he would seek to make the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory, a statement that immediately raised major questions about its legal and diplomatic implications. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most strategically important waterways, linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. It is used by major oil and shipping routes and lies between Iran and Oman, whose coastlines border the narrow passage. Control over the strait has long been a sensitive issue for the countries in the region and for global powers dependent on energy shipments. It is unclear what specific action Trump was proposing or whether the comments were intended as a formal policy announcement. Under international law, the United States could not simply declare an internationally shared waterway to be its territory. Any effort to alter its status would face overwhelming legal, political and military obstacles. The remarks are likely to draw attention from U.S. allies, regional governments and maritime security experts, particularly given the strait’s central role in global trade and tensions between Washington and Tehran.
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