Trump Vows to Claim Hormuz for US Amid Ongoing Conflict with Iran

The conflict between the US and Iran has been ongoing for over five months, with no clear end in sight. On Friday, President Trump announced that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz as a US territory. This move comes after Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi dismissed Trump's remarks, saying that the country would 'not be intimidated' and that the strategic waterway would remain under its control and authority.

The US and Israel launched their war against Iran on February 28, with the aim of ending Iran's nuclear program and sparking a popular uprising to force regime change in the Islamic Republic. Iran has responded by targeting US allies across the Middle East with drone and missile strikes, as well as imposing a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments passed before the war.

The two countries have been locked in a stalemate over the vital waterway for months, causing energy prices to soar. Trump also urged Americans to accept that they would have to 'pay a tiny little bit more' for their gasoline as a worthy price for preventing 'a very evil country' from getting a nuclear weapon.

Trump denied concerns over the living conditions aboard a US aircraft carrier that was deployed to the Middle East amid the war with Iran, stating that the deployment had not lasted too long and that the ship would be replaced by another 'very similar' vessel.