Trump claims Hormuz Strait as US territory; Iran strikes back
The exchange comes as Oman continues talks with Tehran on shipping routes and the future of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump posted a map labeling the Strait of Hormuz as “new US territory,” drawing mockery from Iran and Russia amid a war that has not fully subsided. In a Truth Social post on August 18, Trump also wrote that there were no negotiations with Iran over Hormuz and that a US blockade of Iranian ships remained in place. Iran responded through its Consulate General account in Hyderabad with a map of California labeled “new territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi called Trump’s claim a fantasy, while security official Mohsen Rezaei also ridiculed it. Russia’s representative in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, dismissed the claim as White House “humor.” The dispute comes as Oman is still negotiating with Iran over shipping arrangements and the fate of the Strait of Hormuz.