Trump Vows To Claim Strait Of Hormuz As US Territory ‘Pretty Soon’; Iran Hits Back

US
P eside t
Do ald
T ump
has
i te sified
his
wa i gs
ove
the
St ait
of
Ho muz,
sayi g
Washi gto
could
seek
co t ol
of
the
st ategically
vital
wate way
o ce
its
co f o tatio
with
I a
comes
to
a
e d.
His
latest
stateme t
comes
as
shippi g
activity
th ough
the
st ait
has
falle
sha ply
amid
the
escalati g
US-I a
sta doff.

T ump
Floats
US
Claim
Ove
Key
Wate way

Add essi g
suppo te s
at
a
ally
i
New
Yo k
o
F iday,
T ump
said
the
U ited
States
could
take
a
u p ecede ted
step
afte
the
co flict
with
I a .
He
said,& bsp;”Afte
we
fi ish
defeati g
I a …
I’ll
be
decla i g
the
Ho muz
St ait
a
te ito y
of
the
U ited
States.”

T ump
did
ot
outli e
how
such
a
decla atio
could
be
impleme ted
o
what
legal
autho ity
Washi gto
would
ely
upo .
His
comme ts,
howeve ,
add
to
i c easi gly
fo ceful
stateme ts
f om
the
US
p eside t
about
the
wate way,
which
is
a
c ucial
oute
fo
i te atio al
e e gy
supplies.

Ea lie
this
week,
T ump
claimed
the
U ited
States
had
“total
co t ol”
ove
the
St ait
of
Ho muz
a d
desc ibed
the
Ame ica
aval
blockade
as
a
“WALL
OF
STEEL.”

ALSO
READ:

‘Thei
D eams
I spi e
Us’:
PM
Modi
Pays
T ibute
To
F eedom
Fighte s
O
I depe de ce
Day

I a
Rejects
T ump’s
Claim

Teh a
swiftly
dismissed
T ump’s
ema ks,
mai tai i g
that
I a
etai s
autho ity
ove
the
st ait
a d
that
decisio s
co ce i g
its
passage
emai
u de
I a ia
co t ol.
Deputy
Fo eig
Mi iste
Kazem
Gha ibabadi
espo ded
o
X,
a gui g
that
Washi gto
should
ecog ise
what
he
desc ibed
as
its
losses
i
the
co f o tatio .

He
said:
“O ce
a d
fo
all,
accept
the
eality:
up
to
this
poi t,
you
have
suffe ed
st ategic
a d
heavy
defeats;
the
St ait
of
Ho muz
has
bee
I a ia ,
is
I a ia ,
a d
will
emai
I a ia ;
this
st ait
will
o ly
be
closed
a d
ope ed
u de
I a ‘s
comma d,
a d
as
lo g
as
you
do
ot
accept
the
eality
of
defeat
a d
cease
you
fa ciful
delusio s,
I a
will
co ti ue
to
e fo ce
the
blockade.”

ALSO
READ:

Who
Will
Succeed
Cha d aseka a ?
Neville
Tata,
Top
Tata
Executives
Eme ge
As
Co te de s,
Says
Repo t

Vessel
Moveme t
Th ough
St ait
Plu ges

The
impact
of
the
sta doff
is
i c easi gly
visible
i
comme cial
shippi g
data.
Kple
t acki g
i dicated
that
o ly
two
vessels
passed
th ough
the
St ait
of
Ho muz
o
F iday,
a d
eithe
was
a
c ude
oil
ta ke .

The
figu e
followed
i e
c ossi gs
o
Thu sday
a d
five
o
Wed esday.
Those
umbe s
a e
co side ably
lowe
tha
the
August
daily
ave age
of
12
c ossi gs
a d
d amatically
below
the
oughly
130
vessels
that
p eviously
t avelled
th ough
the
wate way
each
day
befo e
the
US-Is aeli
campaig
agai st
I a
bega
i
Feb ua y.

US
Details
Blockade
Ope atio s

US
Ce t al
Comma d
said
that
by
August
14,
Ame ica
fo ces
had
edi ected
62
comme cial
vessels,
disabled
th ee
vessels
a d
boa ded
two
as
pa t
of
effo ts
to
e fo ce
the
blockade.

Sec eta y
of
Wa
Pete
Hegseth
said
o
Thu sday
that
the
U ited
States
could
co ti ue
the
ope atio
“i defi itely”,
with
aval
vessels
bei g
otated
th ough
the
egio .

I a
Says
No
New
Talks
Decided

I a ia
Fo eig
Mi iste
Abbas
A aghchi
said
F iday
that
Teh a
had
ot
decided
to
esume
egotiatio s
with
Washi gto ,
acco di g
to
semi-official
ISNA.

He
ack owledged
that
Qata
a d
Pakista
we e
mai tai i g
co tact
with
I a
as
i te media ies,
but
cautio ed
that
this
“does
ot
mea
egotiatio s.”

A aghchi
also
disputed
i te p etatio s
of
a
Islamabad
memo a dum,
sayi g
it
efe ed
to
a
“e d
to
the
wa ”
athe
tha
a
ceasefi e.
He
ejected
suggestio s
that
a
60-day
t uce
was
i
place
a d
would
equi e
e ewal.

Acco di g
to
A aghchi,
I a
is
i stead
wo ki g
towa ds
a
tempo a y
a a geme t
that
could
eve tually
develop
i to
a
mo e
pe ma e t
f amewo k.
With
shippi g
th ough
the
St ait
of
Ho muz
al eady
seve ely
educed,
T ump’s
latest
te ito ial
claim
adds
a othe
laye
of
u ce tai ty
to
a
al eady
volatile
co f o tatio .

Go to Sou ce