Trump Says He Will Declare Strait of Hormuz U.S. Territory
Trump Declares Intent Over Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump on Friday urged Americans to accept slightly higher gasoline prices as the cost of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and said he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory. [1] Trump has repeatedly asserted the United States has total control over the strait, through which one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the start of the war. [3] The announcement comes as the president faces pressure at home to end an unpopular war, with high fuel prices dragging down his approval ratings and potentially eroding his party's control of Congress in midterm elections in November. [3]
Maritime Traffic Grinds to Halt
Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has stalled following attacks on commercial vessels. [3] Transit through the Strait of Hormuz appears to have ground to a near standstill after two more ships were attacked and the United States said it could maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely. [3] Two vessels passed through the narrow waterway on Friday, according to analysis from ship tracking firm Kpler: a grain ship entering Iranian waters and an empty dry bulk ship going in the other direction. [3] A separate empty liquefied petroleum products tanker was sailing into the Gulf via the strait, the data showed. [3] There were no crude oil shipments visible on Friday. [3] Nine vessels passed through the strait on Thursday, up from five on Wednesday but below the average of 12 for August. [3] The figures are nowhere near the more than 130 ships that traversed the Strait of Hormuz daily before the war launched by the United States and Israel on Iran in February. [3] Since the ceasefire renewed in the June deal broke down, Iran has resumed attacks on ships it accuses of trying to transit the strait without its permission. [3] The United Arab Emirates' Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said two of its vessels were attacked transiting the strait on Thursday evening. [3] The UAE government blamed Iran, which made no immediate comment. [3]
Supply Crisis Hits USS Abraham Lincoln
The supply issues plaguing the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier stem from Iranian drone and missile attacks on a naval base in Bahrain early in the US-Iran war. [2] The US Navy initially used the Bahrain base for supply operations in its offensive against Iran, but was forced to change strategies following Iran's attacks on the base. [2] The US Navy decided to move its supply operations to the UK naval base located on the island of Diego Garcia, which sits over 3,500 km from the two US carrier strike groups operating in the Gulf of Oman. [2] The base change contributed to the supply problems currently facing the USS Abraham Lincoln, which include shortages, water contamination, and several other issues that have arisen over the past months. [2] Concerns regard the ship's crew amid reports that several have attempted to jump off the aircraft carrier, facing deteriorating mental health, as well as hygiene and safety issues. [2] US Central Command denied those claims in an X/Twitter post on Thursday. [2]
U.S. Vows Indefinite Blockade and Sanctions
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters the US military has the capability to maintain a naval presence in the region to enforce its retaliatory blockade of Iran, which has inflicted severe economic damage on the country. [3] "Indefinitely, the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we'll rotate ships in and out, as we have, and we'll continue to," he told reporters during a trip to Panama. [3] Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US planned to inflict more financial damage on Iran. [3] "Watch this space for more announcements coming next week because we are going to apply measures like have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country," he said in an interview on Newsmax. [3] The US has tightened economic sanctions against Iran and other individuals and entities that it says are helping it procure weapons, but the pressure campaign has not brought Tehran back to the negotiating table. [3] The US lifted its blockade of Iran's shipping and ports for a month in mid-June but has since reimposed it, cutting off Tehran's primary source of hard currency and compounding earlier losses from wartime strikes on its energy infrastructure. [3]
Trump Dismisses Concerns Over Carrier Deployment
US President Donald Trump dismissed the concerns later on Friday, and the New York Times quoted him as saying the ship's deployment length is "not nearly long enough." [2] According to the New York Times, a reporter asked Trump whether the crew's families are concerned, and he replied, "No, they’re not," adding that the carrier would soon be relieved by "another very similar ship." [2] US Senator Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday demanding a formal inquiry into the conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. [2] "The Lincoln’s extended deployment raises broader questions about the Navy’s ability to sustainably generate carrier forces while preserving service member well-being, maintenance, schedules, fleet readiness, and the capacity to respond to future contingencies," Blumenthal wrote. [2]
Iran Demands Sanctions Relief
A senior Iranian source said there had been no progress in talks to build on a June agreement to end the war. [3] Iran rejects the US assertion of total control and has said it will not allow the waterway to reopen until its conditions are met. [3] These include removing economic sanctions and releasing frozen Iranian assets. [3] Washington previously said it would lift the Iranian blockade once Iran and Oman, which sit on either side of the strait, reach an agreement to restore commercial shipping. [3]
What to watch next: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated more announcements on unprecedented economic measures are coming next week, while President Trump stated the USS Abraham Lincoln will soon be relieved by another very similar ship.
