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US President Donald Trump says he will declare the Strait of Hormuz an American territory after the war with Iran.
The president made the comments while delivering a speech at a police academy on Long Island, New York, on Friday.
“After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said.
“Essentially, that’s what it is. We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to.”
Trump’s comments come as talks with Iran remain deadlocked following failed negotiations.
Tehran, which borders and de facto controls the strait, has refused to reopen the narrow waterway, which has been all but closed since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran in February.
The US has been blockading Iranian shipping and ports in recent months in an effort to pile economic pressure on Tehran.
In a Saturday interview, Abbas Araqchi, Iranian foreign minister, said separate talks with Oman, which also borders Hormuz, were focused on defining a sea route through the strait, while the US would have to meet conditions for shipping to resume through the waterway.
The minister also said negotiations between Iran and Oman regarding the future management of the Strait of Hormuz “may reach a conclusion soon”.
According to maritime tracking service TankerTrackers, an Iranian supertanker was observed “loading oil at Kharg Island for the first time since late July”.
Araqchi said Iran had not decided to resume talks with the US, and messages being exchanged via Qatar and Pakistan did not amount to negotiations.
