US President Donald Trump says he views the Strait of Hormuz as “American territory” as tensions with Iran escalate over sanctions and negotiations.
On Friday, Trump said the strategic waterway belonged to the US and later joked about bombing Iran again.
“We don’t even know if we won, because I view the Strait of Hormuz as an American territory right now,” Trump said while addressing a crowd in South Carolina.
“It’s a Friday night. We have plenty of time,” Trump said before adding, “What the hell do I have to do? Go back and bomb Iran a little bit more?”
Trump’s latest remarks came as Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei described the latest US economic sanctions against Tehran as a “declaration of war” on all nations. The sanctions, which are due to be formally announce on Monday, could not only affect Iran but its most important trading partners, including China.
Baghaei added that the imminent US announcement was an “assertion of extraterritorial sovereignty over every independent member state of the United Nations”.
“Such secondary sanctions find no foundation in international law,” he said in a post on X.
US President Donald Trump, who has warned of economic consequences for any country providing “any type of lifeline to Iran”, said on Friday that Washington was monitoring “what happens” in the conflict.
“They would love to make a deal, but they’re not ready to make the right deal, in my opinion,” Trump said of Iran.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is due to hold a press conference at on Monday, amid promises to unveil “the toughest sanctions in history” on Iran while also urging China to cooperate with Washington.