Trump Repeats Claim Strait of Hormuz Is US Territory; Iran Says Sanctions Backers Are Enemies

US to Announce New Economic Sanctions on Iran on Aug. 24

President Donald Trump again claimed the Strait of Hormuz is US territory. Iran countered that any country joining US economic sanctions against Tehran would be treated as an enemy.

Speaking in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Aug. 21, Trump said Iran desperately wants a deal but that the US is not even sure it wants one. He added that he views the Strait of Hormuz as American territory and repeated, “It is American territory.”

Trump had also said on Aug. 14 that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz to be US territory. The remarks further strengthened his existing claim that the US effectively controls the waterway.

Iran has continued to reject that stance. AFP reported that Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on Iran’s state broadcaster on Aug. 22 that countries should not take part in what he called a US economic war. He added that any nation participating in economic sanctions would be regarded as an enemy.

Trump wrote in a social media post on Aug. 19 that he would wage an unprecedented economic war against Iran. He also pressured the international community to stop trading with Tehran, warning that third countries providing Iran with funding would face heavy economic costs. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to announce additional sanctions against Iran on Aug. 24.

Kim Ju-wan, Hankyung.com reporter, kjwan@hankyung.com