Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: President Donald Trump has declared that the US will be taking over as its territory the Hormuz Strait, a key artery for petroleum and gas where his country’s almost half-year-long war with Iran has staunched global supplies.
“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,” he said.
Hormuz would be the third major international territory that Trump has laid claim to.
Hormuz has already become a virtual US territory, he claimed.
“Essentially, that’s what it is. We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to”, he said.
He asserted that the US was acting on behalf of the world in the Strait.
“What we’re doing is a great service for the world, not only for ourselves”, he said.
“No ship gets through, unless we want it to”, he said of the US blockade of Iran in the Strait.
Earlier, Trump had hinted at his plan to take over Hormuz, writing on Truth Social, “The USA has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT”!
Trump said on August 3 that the Strait would be “ open literally” the next day, but it is still virtually closed.
