Trump Shares Map Calling Strait Of Hormuz ‘New US Territory’; Iran Hits Back

US President Donald Trump has escalated his rhetoric over the Strait of Hormuz, sharing an image on his social media platform Truth Social that labels the strategic waterway as “New US Territory”.

The post comes after a 60-day negotiating period between Washington and Tehran to finalise a peace deal expired, with neither side showing any indication of extending the talks.

The map shows a circle around the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman at the entrance to the Persian Gulf — with the words “New US Territory” displayed across it.

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Iran Hits Back At Trump

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi criticised Trump’s post, warning that the US president’s claims over the strategic waterway would soon be challenged.

“Soon, Trump’s delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will either be corrected, or we will correct the delusions of this delusional man,” Gharibabadi said.

Trump’s latest post follows a series of remarks in which he has claimed that the US controls the Strait of Hormuz.

Just days earlier, Trump said he could soon declare the waterway “a territory of the United States”. He also claimed earlier that the US had “total control” over the strait and that the US Navy had swept the waterway for mines.

Iran has rejected those claims. Gharibabadi previously said the Strait of Hormuz “has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian”, adding that its opening and closure would remain under Iran’s command.

Why Strait of Hormuz Matters

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, with roughly 20 per cent of global oil and gas supplies normally passing through it before the US-Israel-Iran war began on February 28.

Traffic through the waterway has fallen sharply since the conflict began, with Iran restricting passage as leverage.

Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have reached an understanding on maps for shipping transit routes through the strait and are working to finalise a joint statement.

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Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that an understanding had been reached on the transit-route map, but the two countries still planned to finalise the arrangement as a package comprising the map and a joint statement.

Iran and Oman have been negotiating the terms for managing the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump has also threatened military action against Oman if it interferes with the US blockade of Iranian ships in the strait. In a phone interview with Fox News, he said the US would “bomb the s*** out of them” if Oman got in the way.