US President Donald Trump has claimed the Strait of Hormuz “belongs” to the United States Navy, describing US maritime measures against Iran as a “wall of steel”….reports Asian Lite News Desk
US President Donald Trump has reiterated his claim that the United States controls maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, describing the US naval presence in the strategic waterway as an effective blockade against Iran.
Speaking at Sparrows Point in Maryland on Tuesday, where he announced plans for a new shipyard as part of efforts to expand the US maritime industrial base, Trump said the US Navy was enforcing what he called “one of the most effective and impenetrable blockades in history”.
“Nobody’s ever seen a blockade like that, with no ships—zero—getting in,” Trump said, claiming that oil shipments from outside Iran had recovered to levels “almost higher than they’ve ever been.”
Trump also described how the US was responding to vessels attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Every once in a while, they’ll do a run, and they’ll either hit the cabin—if it’s got oil, they’ll hit the cabin, or they’ll hit the rudder. If it doesn’t have oil, we just sink the ship,” he said.
He then made a broader claim about US control over the waterway.
“In other words, the Hormuz Strait belongs to the United States Navy and the United States of America. That’s where it belongs, and that’s where it is right now,” Trump said.
The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important maritime passage connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the wider Arabian Sea. Trump’s remarks came amid continuing tensions between Washington and Tehran.
What did Trump say about the US Navy in Hormuz?
Trump said the United States would remain the world’s leading naval power while announcing the construction of the new shipyard at Sparrows Point.
“With the help of everyone here today, America is going to remain the undisputed naval superpower of the world,” he said.
During the same event, Trump also claimed that the United States was “doing extremely well” in Iran and said the country’s military capabilities had been severely weakened.
“We’re doing extremely well in the Islamic Republic of Iran, very well. They have no military. It’s shot; the whole place is shot,” Trump said.
He described Iran as previously having been “the bully of the Middle East” and said the situation had changed, while adding that the US still had to “finish up”.
“It’s only a question of which way do we want to do it, the nice way or the not-so-nice way? And pretty soon you’ll find out,” Trump said.
Trump also said he preferred to describe the US maritime measures in the Strait of Hormuz as a “wall of steel” rather than a blockade.
He further said the US Navy was working to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Trump has repeatedly asserted that the US Navy has restricted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz during the ongoing conflict with Iran, including traffic linked to Iranian vessels and ports.
