Trump Threatens to Declare Strait of Hormuz ‘Territory of the United States’

THE GUARDIAN: Seriousness of remark made in New York on Friday, and whether it signaled new policy position, not clear

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | Donald Trump at the David S Mack Center for Training and Intelligence in Garden City, New York, on Friday. Photograph: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Donald Trump has threatened to declare the strait of Hormuz as “a territory of the United States” as his administration struggles to conclude the war with Iran.

During a speech at a police academy on Long Island, New York, on Friday, the US president said he would “pretty soon” designate the waterway – a crucial chokepoint for global trade, through which about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies typically pass – a US territory.

The comment came as peace talks with Iran remain at an impasse following failed negotiations, with Tehran refusing to reopen the strait, which has been all but closed since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran in February.

Almost six months into the war, there is little indication that negotiations will soon yield peace, as Iranian officials continue to defy Trump’s demands. The US has been blockading Iranian shipping and ⁠ports in recent months in an effort to pile economic pressure on Tehran.

“After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said on Friday. “Essentially, that’s what it is. We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to.”

The seriousness of Trump’s remark, and whether it signaled a new policy position for his administration, was not immediately clear. » | Maya Yang | Friday, August 14, 2026

Trump wants it all: Venezuela, Panama, Cuba, Canada, Greenland, the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s rare earth minerals, and all the billions he can filch, pilfer, and steal! This dude works on one simple principle: what mine is mine, and what’s yours is mine also! Trump is a natural born schemer! — © Mark Alexander

Iran War Round 3: Tehran Prepares Knock-out Blow | Prof Mohammad Marandi

While the US lives in fantasy world about the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran has been busy preparing for the next phase of the war, which doubtlessly the US will restart once more. Since there is no diplomatic solution, Tehran is coming around to the conclusion that with the next battle, a decisive military change in the region must occur—in the US satellites.

Prof. Seyed Mohammad Marandi joins me to discuss daily life in Tehran, Iran’s trade routes under blockade, the risk of renewed US attacks, Saudi Arabia’s position, missile strategy, and relations with Gulf states. He argues that Iran seeks to remove regional threats rather than spread instability,, and recommends books for understanding Iran.

Why the Iranian Regime Is Softening Its Stance on the Hijab

Aug 13, 2026 | "We see very, very many more women now going into the streets very easily, having coffee together, not wearing the veil ... so that protest in a way has dissipated, because in a way, that battle has been won by women, despite what the hardliners are saying."

In Iran, the National Security Council suspended strict enforcement imposed upon women because the regime recognised it was fighting a "losing battle”, says Dr Roxane Farmanfarmaian, director of international studies and global politics at Cambridge University.

Dr Roxane Farmanfarmaian was speaking to Stephen Sackur on The Times At One. Listen live every Monday to Thursday, from 1pm.


WIKIPEDIA: Roxane Farmanfarmaian »

How Trump's Venezuela Gamble Led to Disaster in Iran | Christiane Amanpour Presents

August 11, 2026 | Did the capture of President Maduro give Trump the confidence to start a war with Iran? Christiane and Jamie trace how January's Venezuela gamble led directly to a disastrous conflict - and ask whether 'might makes right' has become the defining doctrine of this Presidency.

They examine whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio is effectively running Venezuela as America's 'Viceroy', whether the US has colonised a sovereign nation and what that means for how it is viewed around the world.

Plus, Christiane explains how Obama succeeded in making a deal with Iran where every other president failed, and Jamie gives his take on what The Odyssey can teach us about modern diplomacy. …


Trump should have been incarcerated years ago! Unfortunately, the powers-that-be in America didn’t have the cojones to do it. As a result, we are all paying the price for their cowardice. — © Mark Alexander

Trump Said to Have Secretly Used Military Jet to Leave Turkey Amid Threats

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Trump hid in an airport catering container and was taken to a military jet for a secret flight out of country after the NATO summit last month.

This screenshot has been taken from this NYT article. | Two catering containers are shown alongside Air Force One on the tarmac in Turkey. | Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times
Top administration officials engaged in an elaborate deception to spirit President Trump out of Turkey during the NATO summit there last month, transporting him in a catering container to a military jet because of a threat against him and Air Force One from Iran, two senior U.S. officials said on Monday.

Mr. Trump and other officials had said publicly that he would be leaving Turkey on July 8 aboard one of the older versions of Air Force One rather than a luxury 747-8 donated by Qatar that he had flown in on. Mr. Trump told reporters at the time that he was making the switch for “old time’s sake.”

Mr. Trump boarded the older plane from the left-side door in view of cameras, and news organizations, including The New York Times, reported that he had traveled on it to Britain, where he switched back to the newer plane. The Times reported at the time that the decision was driven in part by concern about the security of the new plane donated by Qatar, which had not been equipped with all of the defensive capabilities of older versions.

But instead of flying out aboard that older, powder blue, modified 747, Mr. Trump was whisked off that plane via a catering container that had been lifted to the opposite side of the plane from where the journalists traveling with him boarded, one of the U.S. officials said. The president was then taken to a third plane, which he flew in secret to Britain, the official with knowledge of the matter said. » | Maggie Haberman, Eric Schmitt and Zolan Kanno-Youngs | Published: Monday, August 10, 2026. Updated: Tuesday, August 11, 2026

À LIRE AUSSI :

« Mission clandestine », camion de restauration et « avion-leurre » : les coulisses de la mystérieuse exfiltration de Donald Trump pour quitter la Turquie : RÉCIT - Pour échapper aux menaces iraniennes, le président des États-Unis, qui se trouvait en juillet à Ankara pour un sommet de l’Otan, aurait quitté secrètement la Turquie à bord d’un avion militaire, après avoir été exfiltré d’« Air Force One » dans un conteneur de restauration aéroportuaire, révèle le Washington Post. »

Guerre Iran-États-Unis : les Iraniens sont «des joueurs d'échecs professionnels», rétorque Téhéran à Donald Trump

LE FIGARO : Le porte-parole de la diplomatie iranienne a répondu à une déclaration de Donald Trump, de ce dimanche. « Ça va s’arranger. Ça finit toujours par s’arranger », avait déclaré le président américain. « C’est comme une partie d’échecs ».

Les Iraniens sont « des joueurs d'échecs professionnels », a taclé lundi le porte-parole de la diplomatie, répondant au président américain Donald Trump qui avait comparé la veille le conflit à « une partie d'échecs ». Que ce soient lors des négociations officielles ou en coulisses, « les Iraniens ont montré qu'ils sont des joueurs d'échecs professionnels », a déclaré Esmaïl Baghaï lors de sa conférence de presse hebdomadaire à Téhéran. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | lundi 10 août 2026

Why the Iran War Won’t End Soon (w/ Alastair Crooke)

August 9, 2026 | Trump's reckless war on Iran is threatening global economic collapse — as the region breaks out into a matrix of conflagrations, Trump seemingly has no way out.

Iran Issues Tough Demands to Reopen Strait of Hormuz as Deal Still Out of Reach

THE GUARDIAN: Tehran urges US to ‘correct its behaviour’ as UAE says one of its ships targeted by Iranian missile

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | Tehran, Iran. An Iranian statement said the US must never threaten the country again. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Iran has issued tough new demands for reopening the strait of Hormuz, while the United Arab Emirates said one of its ships was targeted by an Iranian missile, as a deal to open the strategic waterway remained out of reach on Saturday.

Iran’s politburo-like body known as the supreme national security council said the strait of Hormuz will not open until the United States “corrects its behaviour”, and its state broadcaster published a statement from the council’s secretary, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who is also a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The US must never threaten Iran again, the statement said, and must permanently end the war with Iran and its armed allies in the region. The US must lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports and withdraw its military from the area. It also must “completely compensate” Iran for war damage, lift sanctions and “unconditionally” release frozen assets. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Saturday, August 8, 2026

This is clearly a humiliation for Trump. So much for MAGA and so much for Trump’s Art of the Deal. In common parlance, Iran is clipping Trump’s wings! And it is putting America in the place where Iran thinks it belongs.

The moral of the story is simple: Be very careful when picking a fight! — © Mark Alexander

ALSO READ THIS NYT ARTICLE:

Iran Issues List of Demands, Complicating Efforts to Reopen Strait: The head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the United States met certain conditions. »

À LIRE AUSSI :

Téhéran pose ses conditions à toute réouverture du détroit d'Ormuz : L’Iran exige notamment de Washington qu’il « mette fin définitivement à la guerre et à l’agression » contre lui et ses alliés, et lève le blocus imposé à ses ports. »

LESEN SIE AUCH:

„Der Feind ist gezwungen“: Iran stellt neue Bedingungen für Straße von Hormus: Der Iran hält die Straße von Hormus blockiert. Teheran nennt sieben Bedingungen für die USA. Wie realistisch ist eine baldige Öffnung der Meerenge? »

Iran Plots to Deal Trump a Blow in Midterms by Keeping Him Entangled in War

THE GUARDIAN: By dragging out talks, Tehran aims to damage the US president politically – but some fear a bruised and weakened Trump could lash back

This screenshot jas been taken from this Guardian article. | Iran has distrusted the US since the 1979 Islamic revolution, but their anger is now focused personally on Trump. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP
Tehran has set out a protracted negotiating timetable designed to keep Donald Trump embroiled in the Iran conflict until the midterm elections, in the hope of inflicting the same ruinous blow on his presidency as Jimmy Carter suffered over the 1979-81 US embassy hostage crisis.

For many inside Iran, inflicting meaningful revenge on Trump is a legitimate and self-standing war aim, reflected in the mood of those attending the funeral of the supreme leader Ali Khamenei where demands for retribution were ubiquitous.

While Iranian officials since the 1979 Islamic revolution have never trusted the US, that animus is now also directed personally towards Trump. He not only tore up the painfully negotiated nuclear deal in 2018, but he sanctioned the assassination of the military leader Qassem Suleimani and twice involved Iran in negotiations on its nuclear programme only to launch wars against it. He shows no remorse for the killing of the country’s supreme leader, or for the attempt on the life of Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian. » | Patrick Wintour | Diplomatic editor | Friday, August 7, 2026

"Need Security for Life": The Brutal Retribution Iran Is Planning Now - w/ Prof. Seyed Mohammad Marandi

August 6, 2026

Iran : le président iranien juge la communication avec le guide suprême « très difficile »

LE FIGARO : Massoud Pezeshkian affirme que la communication avec le guide suprême Mojtaba Khamenei est « très difficile » depuis sa nomination. Blessé lors de la guerre avec Israël et les États-Unis, le nouveau dirigeant reste discret.

Le président iranien Massoud Pezeshkian a affirmé mercredi que la communication avec le guide suprême Mojtaba Khamenei, qui n'est pas apparu en public depuis sa nomination en mars, était « très difficile en ce moment ». « La communication avec lui est très difficile en ce moment mais sa présence constitue quoiqu'il en soit un atout majeur pour nous, qui nous permet de continuer », a déclaré Massoud Pezeshkian lors d'une allocution télévisée, au sujet du fils et successeur d'Ali Khamenei, tué au premier jour de la guerre lancée par Israël et les États-Unis contre l'Iran le 28 février. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | jeudi 6 août 2026

US Presence in the Region Is Driving the War, Not Iran, Marandi Says

This is Iran’s viewpoint.

An Angry Trump Struggles to Understand Iran’s Defiant Leaders

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Iran’s leaders have perplexed several American presidents, perhaps none more than President Trump.

Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | Mourners gathered at Azadi Square in Tehran last month, holding flags during the funeral procession for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader killed by an airstrike at the beginning of the U.S.-Iran war in February. | Credit: Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York Times
President Trump’s angry claim on Monday that Iran was being “unbelievably duplicitous” in its dealings with the United States was just the latest sign of his struggle to understand his rivals in Tehran.

Mr. Trump considers himself a master of sizing up and exploiting his adversaries. But Iran’s leaders have baffled him.

“All they do is make me angry,” he told reporters last week. “They just make me angry.”

More frustration could be in store for the American president. Trump officials say a new deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz may be near, but Iran continues to insist on collecting fees there that Mr. Trump has ruled unacceptable.

Mr. Trump’s inability to strike a favorable deal with Iran has not only cost him politically among war-weary voters, but continued strife around the crucial waterway has made for volatile oil prices at the expense of American consumers and the global economy. » | Michael Crowley | Michael Crowley covers the State Department and U.S. foreign policy. He has reported from nearly three dozen countries. | Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Leer en español »

For Iran, Trump’s Reversal on Escalation Shows Who Has the Upper Hand

THE NEW YORK TIMES: By expanding the arena of fighting in the region, experts say, Tehran sent a warning about the dangers of a widening war.

When President Trump appeared to back down once again from a threatened military escalation against Tehran, he offered fresh fodder to the narrative Iranian officials are eager to promote: They are not the ones who fear war — Mr. Trump is.

Iran’s leadership believes it has found the world’s Achilles’ heel. With the help of regional militia allies, Tehran spent the past week underscoring its ability to threaten several of the world’s most critical energy facilities and waterways.

It has continued to up the ante in its face-off with Washington over when and how to stop their renewed hostilities and return to a short-lived deal to start peace negotiations, which fell apart last month.

When Mr. Trump signaled in recent days that a major escalation was imminent if no concessions were made, two former Iranian officials said Tehran’s leadership told him to go right ahead. » | Erika Solomon | Monday, August 3, 2026

Leer en español.

Donald Trump Is Spent | Steve Schmidt

August 3, 2026 | Donald Trump's war with Iran continues to deteriorate. Steve Schmidt breaks down Trump's endless lies, foreign policy failures, and why the American people must put a check on his power in the midterms.

Trump Climbs Down on Iran Strikes after Saudi Alarm and Threats from Tehran

THE GUARDIAN: President claims delay is ‘subject to being able to rapidly make a deal’ as intervention by Saudi crown prince is revealed and Iran warns neighbours

Donald Trump said on Saturday night that the US would hold off on any new strikes on Iran provided a deal to end the months-long conflict is quickly reached – marking the president’s latest climbdown from extravagant threats to hit the Tehran regime hard.

The Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump on Saturday to express concerns about his strike plans, it was reported. Trump’s reversal also came after Iran threatened to retaliate decisively against its neighbours in the event of US strikes, while Kuwait reported being hit by Iranian drones on Saturday and two ships were attacked off Oman in the strait of Hormuz.

One source described as having knowledge of the Trump-Mohammed call told Axios that the Saudi crown prince had “urged Trump to de-escalate and refrain from launching the strikes”.

The Associated Press also reported the conversation, citing its own source. It said the Saudis were concerned that if the US targets Iran’s energy infrastructure or carries out massive strikes on other key infrastructure, Tehran could respond by carrying out similar attacks on the kingdom and other Gulf countries.

The crown prince during Saturday’s call sought clarity from Trump on what potential new action he was weighing to take against Iran, the Associated Press reported. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Sunday, August 2, 2026

Donald Trump has got himself into a bind with this illegal and totally unnecessary war on Iran. He’s in a right old pickle! Netanyahu has clearly led him up the garden path! It seems to me that America has little hope of being victorious in this war. Victory is surely Iran’s for the taking.

Americans are past masters at starting wars, but winning the wars they have started is a very different story. — © Mark Alexander

ALSO READ THIS NYT ARTICLE:

Trump Says He Is Canceling Strikes on Iran, Pending a Rapid Deal: President Trump said he agreed to requests from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries to cancel planned attacks, citing what he said was progress in reaching the “perimeters of a deal” with Tehran. »

From Allies to Enemies: How Decades of Tension Led to War | Featured Documentary

August 1, 2026 | Spanning more than seven decades, Iran: The Making of War examines how one of the most consequential conflicts of the modern era came to be.

Beginning with the CIA-led coup in 1953 that led to the removal of Mohammad Mosaddegh, the film traces the transformation of Iran from a Western-aligned monarchy under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to the Iranian revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

As relations with the United States collapse after the Iranian hostage crisis, a parallel rivalry intensifies with Israel.

Through the decades that follow, a conflict defined by proxy wars, covert operations and disputes over Iran’s perceived nuclear ambitions emerges. Iran: The Making of a War explores how these tensions escalated into direct confrontation - and the serious and dangerous regional and global implications.

Using archive material, expert analysis and accounts from various perspectives, the documentary presents a measured, chronological examination of competing strategies and fears that have shaped the conflict.

Rather than assigning blame, this film asks a central question: how did a relationship once defined by cooperation evolve into a confrontation, with thousands of lives lost, a devastating impact on the Middle East, and the threat of collapsing the entire global economy as well as the world order as we know it.

Original film title: Iran: The Making of a War

US Launched Heavy Strikes as Iran War Escalates | The Fourcast Indicators

July 30, 2026 | The war between the United States and Iran has spread across the Middle East. Fresh strikes in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt, alongside escalating Houthi attacks on international shipping, have raised fears that the region is entering a dangerous new phase.

With Washington intensifying its military campaign and Iran relying on its network of allied militias, is this becoming a wider regional war?

On this episode of The Fourcast: Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban are joined by Professor Madawi al-Rasheed from the London School of Economics Middle East Centre. They discuss why the Houthis are stepping up attacks, whether Saudi Arabia is being pulled into the fighting despite its efforts to avoid it, how Iraqi militias could become a new flashpoint, and whether the US has a long-term strategy, or is being drawn into another prolonged Middle East war.

Is there still a path to de-escalation, or are we witnessing the beginning of a conflict that could engulf the wider region?


With sound judgment, this war, suffering, and death could have been avoided. The Iran War is illegitimate and quite unnecessary. It’s a war which America is almost destined to lose. Furthermore, it is a war which could very easily spiral out of control. The world is paying a very high price for the foolishness and extremely poor, infantile judgment of voters in America! — © Mark Alexander

Inside Iran: The People and the Power - BBC World Service Documentaries

July 30, 2026 | With unprecedented access, BBC World Service makes a 25-hour train journey across the length of Iran. From the country's political heart in Tehran to its strategic southern coast at the Strait of Hormuz,

Investigations meets Iranians from across the social and political divide. Reaching parts of Iran usually inaccessible to foreign journalists, BBC Eye builds a rare picture of a nation at war. A grieving mother in Minab, where a school hit in the opening hours of the conflict became one of its defining tragedies; mourners at the funeral of Iran's Supreme Leader, defiant in the face of foreign pressure; and the young Iranians facing an uncertain future, guarded about what they feel they can and can't say about the regime, or about their own lives.

The BBC's Senior international correspondent Nawal Al Maghafi was reporting from Iran on condition that none of her material is used on the BBC's Persian Service. These restrictions apply to all international media organisations operating in Iran.

Iran and US Trade Strikes Ending Lull in Fighting | BBC News

July 29, 2026 | Saudi Arabia and the US have carried out strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, in a potential escalation of the Middle East conflict.

US Central Command said the strikes were against "Iran-aligned terrorists that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure".

Iraq's paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces, which is dominated by Iran-backed Shia militias, said at least 20 of its members had been killed in US-Saudi strikes on its bases.

It came hours after Centcom said Iran had launched missiles at US forces in the Middle East in an "attempted surprise attack", ending a lull in hostilities.