Mr. Trump posted a map of Hormuz with the words ‘new US territory’

In a later post, Mr. Trump said no negotiations with Iran were taking place or were scheduled, and the US continued to fully enforce the maritime blockade against the country.

“The Strait of Hormuz is still open and operating normally. All mines have been removed or detonated,” President Trump wrote.

These posts appeared a day after President Trump said declaring the Strait of Hormuz as US territory “is a great idea”. “I mean we control it,” Mr. Trump said on August 17. “We are controlling the Strait of Hormuz with a blockade and I like the idea of ​​declaring it American territory.”

Iran has not commented on the above information.

Hormuz is a strait located between Iran and Oman, 161 km long, 33 km wide at its narrowest point, and the navigation channel in each direction is only about 3 km wide. The Strait has been almost paralyzed since the Middle East war broke out.

The US and Iran signed a joint memorandum of understanding in mid-June, including provisions to restore maritime operations in Hormuz. However, disagreements over interpretation caused the ceasefire to collapse.

President Trump said on August 14 that he will soon declare the Strait of Hormuz “part of US territory” after defeating Iran. Mr. Trump affirmed that the US is controlling the Strait of Hormuz and no ship can pass through without the country’s permission.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi later rejected the US President’s statement. “The Strait of Hormuz cannot be captured with a social media post, an aircraft carrier, a decree or an election speech. Iran is not afraid of threats and does not yield to shows of strength,” he said.

Ships traveling through Hormuz can currently only rely on the northern route through Iranian territorial waters, or the southern route close to the coast of Oman. Iran warns against ensuring the safety of transit vehicles without prior notification to Tehran.

Iranian officials announced last week that they had reached an agreement with Oman on the route of the maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz, and did not mention the United States.