TBM Report ||
US President Donald Trump declared the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz as American territory during a campaign rally in South Carolina, while making light of potential further military strikes against Iran.
Addressing supporters on Friday (August 21, 2026), Trump questioned the status of ongoing hostilities, stating he currently views the international waterway as belonging to the United States.
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, serves as a maritime transit route for nearly one-fifth of the world’s petroleum supply. Amid six months of heightened conflict, the US military continues enforcing a blockade to limit Iranian oil exports and commercial access through the channel.
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), military forces have redirected at least 68 commercial vessels to alternative maritime routes to maintain operational control over the strait.
During the rally, preceding his recitation of the anti-immigration poem “The Snake,” Trump gestured toward further military action in the Middle East. He joked with the crowd about returning to Washington to order additional bombing runs on Iranian targets.
Trump had previously gestured toward this territorial claim during an address at a New York police academy and subsequently shared a map on social media labeling the strait as new US territory. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi firmly rejected the assertions, characterizing the statements as misleading and baseless.
