Trump Repeats Claim Strait of Hormuz Is US Territory; Iran Says Sanctions Partners Are Enemies

US to Announce New Economic Sanctions on Iran on Aug. 24

President Donald Trump again claimed the Strait of Hormuz is US territory. Iran responded by saying any country that joins US economic sanctions against Tehran will be treated as an enemy.

Speaking in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Aug. 21, Trump said Iran is desperate for a deal but the US is not even sure it wants one. He then said he views the Strait of Hormuz as American territory. “That is US territory,” he said.

Trump also said on Aug. 14 that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz to be US territory. The latest remarks reinforced his earlier assertion that the US effectively controls the waterway.

Iran has continued to push back. Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on Iranian state television on Aug. 22 that countries should not join what he called America’s economic war, AFP reported. He added that any country participating in economic sanctions would be regarded as an enemy.

Trump wrote in a social media post on Aug. 19 that he would wage an unprecedented economic war against Iran. He also warned that third countries providing Iran with funding would pay a heavy economic price, while pressing the international community to halt trade with Tehran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent plans to announce additional sanctions measures targeting Iran’s economy on Aug. 24.

Kim Joo-wan, Hankyung.com reporter, kjwan@hankyung.com