Washington, DC [US], August 18 (ANI): Continuing his assertions of claiming control over the world's most critical oil transit bottleneck, the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) shared an AI-generated image of the waterway being labelled as "New US Territory."
The image shared by Trump on his Truth Social Platform, depicts a blue map of the waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, with the Strait of Hormuz circled inside a frame reading "NEW U.S. Territory" in bold lettering.
The post further escalates his administration's claims of control over the strategic energy choke point amid ongoing tensions with Iran.
Trump made similar remarks on Monday (local time), asserting that Washington DC has "total control" in the region.
Speaking to reporters, Trump emphasised the effectiveness of the US naval blockade on Iran and stressed that oil prices are coming down and the Strait of Hormuz is open.
He added that Iran is in big trouble, noting, "they have 300 per cent inflation, the country's a mess, and their military is totally defeated."
"I think it's a great idea. I mean, we control it with the blockade. I like the idea of declaring it a territory. We have total control over the Strait. Now, they can be a nuisance; they can put a mine in the water, and people don't like having mines hit their billion-dollar ships. But the blockade has been very effective. Now, maybe that will stop, or maybe it'll open up even further, but we're taking out millions of barrels of oil a week if you look at the kind of numbers that we're doing," Trump said.
"The Strait is open, and the oil prices are coming down, and they will continue to come down unless we decide to do something far more drastic than what we're doing. Iran is in big trouble. They have 300 per cent inflation, the country's a mess, and their military is totally defeated," he added.
In stark contradiction to Trump's remarks, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed to maritime traffic until all Iranian conditions set forth in the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the US are fully met, tying the reopening directly to the complete removal of foreign sanctions and military operations.
"Until America's commitments in the memorandum of understanding--including lifting the blockade, releasing frozen assets, lifting oil sanctions, ending threats and military operations on all fronts, and other conditions to which America committed--are implemented, the "Strait" will not be opened," Ghalibaf said.
Warning adversaries against further escalation, the Speaker asserted that the Islamic Republic is "ready to impose a heavier defeat on the enemy in proportion to its actions and aggressions."
Furthermore, Ghalibaf said the time had come for Iran's military and diplomatic tracks to work together to respond to what he called the US "breach of covenant".
"As we predicted, the enemy - who had accepted the ceasefire agreement out of desperation -quickly reneged on its commitments to compensate for its heavy political defeat in practice. Therefore, the time has come for the military field to once again stand alongside the diplomatic field and provide a practical response to the enemy's breach of covenant," Ghalibaf said.
The war of words between Tehran and Washington comes as tensions in the critical waterway continue to escalate following the collapse of the June memorandum following allegations by both sides regarding non-compliance with the agreed terms.
Meanwhile, a vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an unknown projectile, resulting in damage to its engine room and a crew casualty, the UK's Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
"The impact caused damage to the engine room and resulted in a crew casualty," it added.
According to UKMTO, the remaining crew members are currently being assisted by the Omani Coast Guard. No environmental impact has been reported following the incident."Authorities are investigating," UKMTO said, adding that vessels operating in the area have been advised to transit with caution.
Under the provisions of the June memorandum, the US was expected to terminate its maritime blockade within 30 days, while Tehran agreed to exert its "best efforts" to ensure secure, toll-free commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days. However, the understanding dissolved following mutual allegations between Washington and Tehran regarding non-compliance with the agreed terms.
Consequently, the US reinstated its maritime blockade targeting Iranian ports and revoked exemptions that had permitted Iranian oil shipments under the temporary framework.
Tehran has since linked the full restoration of transit through Hormuz to the complete lifting of the American blockade, the removal of US military assets from the region, and financial restitution for damages incurred during the hostilities. (ANI)
Trump shares AI-generated image declaring Strait of Hormuz "NEW U.S. Territory" amid tensions with Iran
