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President Donald Trump said he plans to make the Strait of Hormuz a US territory after "defeating" Iran in the war, prompting Iranian officials to push back.

The Claim: Trump made the statement while speaking to law enforcement officers on Friday, saying, "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." He added that the US has a blockade and that "no ships get through unless we want them to." Some media outlets pointed out that Trump did not explain how the US would gain jurisdiction over the waterway.

Iran Pushes Back: Iran has rejected Trump's claims that the US controls the strait. In a post on X, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority said that whoever owns it does "not change the reality: the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran's conditions are accepted." Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi also said the waterway "cannot be seized with a tweet, nor with an aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor through an election speech," according to NBC News (Lean Left bias). 

Why It Matters: The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, with Iran on its northern coast and Oman on its southern coast. Before the war, about 20% of the world's oil and gas passed through the shipping lane. The conflict and reduced traffic through the strait have contributed to higher energy prices. The Strait of Hormuz has also become a central issue in peace negotiations between the US and Iran, with the flow of shipping through the waterway a major point of discussion.

Left-Right Media Coverage: NBC News (Lean Left) framed the story around Iran's rejection of Trump's claim, using terms such as "defiant Iran" and highlighting uncertainty around the war and peace talks. Breitbart (Right) focused more heavily on Trump's claims of US control and the expanding blockade, giving greater attention to the administration's military and economic pressure on Iran. Both reports included Iran's response, but their emphasis and tone differed.

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