US President Donald Trump said he planned to declare the Strait of Hormuz, a busy shipping waterway near Iran, as United States territory. He made the comment during a political rally at a police academy in New York state on Friday. Trump said the announcement would come after the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran ended.
The Strait of Hormuz was an important route used by ships carrying oil and other goods around the world. Since fighting began between the two countries earlier this year, Iran had taken control of much of the waterway, while the US Navy had set up a blockade around Iranian ports.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, responded strongly to Trump’s comments. He said the Strait of Hormuz had always belonged to Iran and would continue to do so. Gharibabadi added that Iran alone would decide when the strait was open or closed to ships.
The disagreement over the strait remained one of the most difficult parts of the ongoing tension between the United States and Iran, with both countries continuing to disagree over who controlled the important waterway.
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