Trump trolls Iran, declaring Strait of Hormuz a 'new US territory' - prompting threats from Tehran

By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 16:20, 18 August 2026 | Updated: 16:20, 18 August 2026 Donald Trump has trolled Iran by declaring the Strait of Hormuz a 'new US territory', prompting a furious threat from Tehran. The US President shared a map on Truth Social showing the narrow waterway with the words 'NEW U.S. TERRITORY' written across it. The bizarre image showed a large blue circle around the strait, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and is one of the world's most important shipping routes. Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi hit back by reposting Trump's map and warning that Tehran would 'correct' the US President's 'delusions'. He wrote: 'Just as Trump correctly wrote the name of the eternal Persian Gulf, soon his delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will either be corrected or we will correct the delusions of this deluded man.' Trump's provocative post came after he claimed the US controls the waterway through its naval blockade and suggested declaring it American territory would be 'an excellent idea'. It risks further inflaming tensions with Tehran, which has vowed that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Washington meets conditions it says were agreed under an interim deal. Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, speaker of Iran's parliament, said on Tuesday that the waterway would not reopen until the US fulfilled a series of commitments. Donald Trump has trolled Iran by declaring the Strait of Hormuz a 'new US territory' as tensions continue to rage over control of the vital shipping route The US President shared a bizarre map on Truth Social showing a large blue circle around the narrow waterway with the words 'NEW U.S. TERRITORY' written across it Pictured: Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 17, 202 These include lifting the blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets, removing the oil embargo and ending threats and military operations on all fronts. Qalibaf accused the US of reneging on its commitments after agreeing to the memorandum to end the war. He said: 'I would like to make it clear that the Strait will not open until the US commitments in the memorandum, including lifting the siege, releasing the frozen assets, lifting the oil embargo, ending the threat and military operations on all fronts, and other conditions to which the US has committed in the memorandum, are implemented.' He said Iran was 'ready to inflict a heavier defeat on the enemy than before, in proportion to his actions and encroachments'. On Saturday Iran hit back at Trump's claim that he could declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory. The President made the assertion during a speech at a Long Island police academy on Friday when he said: 'After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon, I will be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States. 'We have control over it. Nobody else. Only us.' Gharibabadi ridiculed the claim later that day, saying the US has 'no authority' over the vital waterway that has become a flashpoint in the six-month war. On X he wrote: 'The Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian. 'This strait will only be closed and opened under Iran's command. The Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech.' Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi hit back by reposting Trump's map and warning that Tehran would 'correct' the US President's 'delusions' Pictured: A vessel in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, June 30, 2026 He added that as long as Trump 'will not accept the reality of defeat' and stop indulging his 'delusions', Iran will continue to 'enforce its blockade' of the waterway which, before hostilities began in February, carried one-fifth of the world's oil supply. A vessel travelling through the Strait was hit by an 'unknown projectile' on Tuesday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre, damaging its engine room. No injuries were reported in the strike, which allegedly hit the vessel's hull. The strait is currently under the shared jurisdiction of Oman and Iran. But Trump has repeatedly insisted that he will seize ownership as part of any peace deal. The US has twice deployed a total blockade of the waterway and Trump insists vessels which continue to pass through do so only with America's permission. Only six vessels travelled through the strait last weekend – a fraction of the 140 oil tankers that would typically cross each day before the war. Oil prices have surged since the start of the conflict, with the price of crude rising 6 per cent this week as hopes of a peace deal between the US and Iran faded.