US President Donald Trump has said he intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz an American territory once the war with Iran ends.
Trump made the statement on Friday while delivering a speech at a police academy on Long Island, New York.
“After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said.
“Essentially, that’s what it is. We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to.”
The comments came amid a deadlock in discussions between Washington and Tehran following unsuccessful negotiations.
Iran, which borders the Strait of Hormuz and exercises de facto control over the strategic waterway, has refused to reopen it. The strait has remained largely closed since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in February.
In recent months, the US has imposed a blockade on Iranian shipping and ports as part of efforts to increase economic pressure on Tehran.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in an interview on Saturday that separate discussions with Oman, which also borders the Strait of Hormuz, were focused on establishing a maritime route through the waterway.
He said the US would need to meet certain conditions before shipping could resume through the strait.
Araqchi added that negotiations between Iran and Oman over the future management of the Strait of Hormuz “may reach a conclusion soon”.
Maritime tracking service TankerTrackers also reported that an Iranian supertanker was seen “loading oil at Kharg Island for the first time since late July”.
Araqchi further said Iran had not decided to resume negotiations with the US, adding that messages exchanged through Qatar and Pakistan did not constitute formal talks.