President Donald Trump characterized the Strait of Hormuz as “an American territory” during a campaign rally in South Carolina on Friday. The comments were made as the United States persists with a military blockade targeting Iranian ports and shipping, even as the administration works to resolve the ongoing conflict with the nation.
Addressing a crowd while campaigning for Senate candidate Darline Graham—who seeks to fill the seat formerly held by her late brother, Lindsey Graham—Trump remarked, “We don’t even know if we won, because I view the strait of Hormuz as an American territory right now.” Later in the same event, Trump joked about the potential for further military action against Iran, stating, “It’s a Friday night. We have plenty of time. What the hell do I have to do? Go back and bomb Iran a little bit more?” He then recited the poem “The Snake,” a frequent fixture of his campaign appearances used to highlight his anti-immigrant policies.
The administration's stance on the waterway has been escalating. According to U.S. Central Command (Centcom) social media updates, American forces had redirected 68 commercial vessels to comply with the blockade as of Friday. Trump had previously signaled his intentions regarding the strait, stating during a speech at a New York police academy last week that he liked the idea of declaring it a territory. “Essentially, that’s what it is. We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to,” he said. He further solidified this rhetoric on Monday, telling reporters he favored the declaration and sharing a map on social media that labeled the waterway as a “new U.S. territory.”
In response to these developments, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, dismissed the president's claims, characterizing them as “delusions.”
