Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Escalation in the Persian Gulf War
US President Donald Trump announced Friday that he plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz a United States territory. This highly controversial statement was delivered during a public speech in New York focused primarily on domestic economic policies.
The bold claim marks a dramatic escalation in the ongoing 2026 military conflict between Washington and Tehran. The regional war initially erupted on February 28 following massive joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes.
The Wall of Steel Naval Blockade
Trump emphasized the success of the current American naval blockade, describing the military operation as an unstoppable “wall of steel”. He asserted that the Pentagon maintains absolute control over all commercial shipping routes traversing the volatile waterway.
A previous memorandum of understanding signed in June briefly paused active hostilities between the two nations. However, that mutual ceasefire collapsed entirely by July amid heavy accusations of localized maritime violations.
Impact on Global Energy Markets
The Strait of Hormuz serves as the world’s most critical transit route for international oil and gas supplies. Approximately 20 percent of global petroleum consumption flows daily through this heavily contested bottleneck.
Trump acknowledged the widening financial strain of the war, noting that domestic gas prices have reached four dollars per gallon. He urged American consumers to accept higher energy costs as a necessary sacrifice for neutralizing foreign threats.
Geopolitical Realities and Legal Feasibility
International legal experts quickly questioned how the White House could realistically absorb an international shipping lane located thousands of miles away. The narrow strait borders the sovereign coastlines of both Iran and Oman.
Tehran’s maritime authorities immediately pushed back against the declaration, stating that American claims cannot alter the reality on the ground. Iranian officials maintain that the strategic channel will remain blocked to adversarial traffic until their specific diplomatic conditions are fulfilled.
