00:16Donald Trump has just taken the Strait of Hormuz controversy to another level.
00:22The U.S. president has posted maps depicting the strategic waterway with a striking new label.
00:28New U.S. territory.
00:30The maps appeared on Trump's Truth Social account as tensions with Iran continue to escalate.
00:37Trump has already said the United States has total control of the Strait through its naval
00:42blockade.
00:43Now, his latest posts are raising an explosive question.
00:47Is Trump seriously threatening to claim one of the world's most important waterways as
00:53American territory?
00:54On August 18, Trump posted graphics showing the Strait of Hormuz with a U.S. style design.
01:00The maps prominently labeled the strategic waterway, New U.S. Territory.
01:06The post came just days after Trump publicly floated the idea of declaring Hormuz U.S. territory.
01:13He has linked the proposal directly to the ongoing confrontation with Iran.
01:17Trump has argued that American forces already exercise what he calls total control over the
01:24waterway through the naval blockade.
01:27Trump first raised the idea around August 14th and 15th.
01:30He said that after defeating Iran, the United States could eventually declare the Strait of
01:35Hormuz a U.S. territory.
01:37The latest maps appear to reinforce that message.
01:41The timing is critical.
01:43The waterway has seen maritime traffic collapse since the conflict erupted in late February.
01:49Before the war, roughly one fifth of the world's seaborne oil passed through the strait.
01:55Now, restrictions and military tensions have brought normal commercial traffic close to a standstill.
02:02The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the wider Arabian Sea.
02:08For decades, it has been a critical artery for global energy supplies.
02:13But the ongoing conflict has transformed the waterway into a major military flashpoint.
02:19The United States has imposed a naval blockade around Iran.
02:23Iran, meanwhile, has repeatedly threatened vessels attempting to pass through routes it does not approve.
02:29Tehran has responded sharply to Trump's latest move.
02:34Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazim Garibabadi dismissed the American territorial claim as a delusion.
02:41He insisted that the Strait of Hormuz has been, is, and will remain under Iranian influence.
02:47And Tehran warned that any attempt to change that reality would be challenged.
02:52That sets up a direct confrontation between two completely different visions.
02:57Trump is presenting American control as a fact created by military power.
03:02Iran is insisting that the waterway remains within its sphere of influence.
03:07With negotiations already stalled, the rhetoric is becoming increasingly difficult to separate from the military reality.
03:14The dispute is also pulling other regional countries into the spotlight.
03:19Oman has become particularly important because of its geographic position and diplomatic role.
03:25Trump has previously warned Oman against interfering with U.S. efforts in the Strait.
03:30At the same time, regional talks have continued as governments search for a way to restore commercial shipping.
03:37That creates an extraordinary diplomatic balancing act.
03:41The United States wants to maintain pressure on Iran.
03:44Iran wants sanctions and the blockade lifted.
03:47The maps themselves do not legally change the status of the Strait.
03:52But politically, they send a powerful message.
03:55Trump is signaling that Washington does not intend to simply return to the pre-war status quo.
04:01Instead, the president is linking control of Hormuz to America's military campaign against Iran.
04:08That could have enormous implications.
04:11The Strait sits between Iran and Oman and is governed by international maritime principles.
04:17Trump's latest posts have transformed an already explosive dispute into something even bigger.
04:24The United States says it has control.
04:26Iran says the American claim is a delusion.
04:29And commercial shipping remains severely disrupted.
04:33The Strait of Hormuz is now sitting at the intersection of military power, energy security, and international law.
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