Trump Threatens to Declare Strait of Hormuz US Territory Amid Iran Tensions
On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced a dramatic and unprecedented threat to declare the Strait of Hormuz as American territory. Speaking at a police academy in Long Island, New York, Trump said that after defeating Iran, he would soon proclaim the vital shipping route, through which about one-fifth of the world's maritime oil supply passes, as US territory. This statement came amid stalled peace talks with Iran and ongoing US and Israeli efforts to pressure Tehran by effectively closing the strait since February.
Trump asserted that no ship would pass through the strait without US permission, emphasizing the enforcement of a naval blockade. However, the seriousness and policy implications of his remarks were initially unclear. Iranian officials swiftly rejected the threat; Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated that Iran alone controls the strait and would not be intimidated by US threats. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that Iran has not agreed to resume negotiations with the US, with recent communications via Qatar and Pakistan not amounting to formal talks.
Legally, such a unilateral US declaration would face enormous constitutional and international law challenges. The US Constitution grants Congress exclusive authority to annex new territories, making any presidential claim without congressional approval invalid. Additionally, international maritime law and US federal statutes recognize territorial waters extending only 12 nautical miles from a sovereign state's coast. Since the Strait of Hormuz lies entirely within Iranian and Omani territorial waters, declaring it US territory would contradict established legal norms.
Such a move would likely provoke immediate legal challenges in US federal courts, questioning the president's authority and potential violations of the War Powers Resolution. Moreover, applying US constitutional rights, jurisdiction, and customs laws to a distant international waterway would create insurmountable legal and enforcement complications. It remains uncertain whether Trump intends to follow through on this threat, but if enacted, it would have far-reaching consequences for US-Iran relations and international maritime law.
