Donald Trump makes Tehran react by declaring that he wants to proclaim the Strait of Hormuz “territory of the United States” after the war
Simple joke or not, Donald Trump provoked an immediate response from Tehran after declaring that he wanted to put the Strait of Hormuz under American control at the end of the war. “Once we finish defeating Iran, which is suffering a crushing defeat, soon I will declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States”said the American president, with a very slight smile, Friday August 14, during a meeting in front of law enforcement officers in Garden City, near New York.
“The Strait of Hormuz was Iranian, is Iranian and will remain Iranian”wrote in reaction, on X, the Iranian deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi. “ This strait will only be opened and closed on the orders of Iran. As long as you refuse to accept the reality of your defeat and continue to delude yourself, Iran will continue to impose a blockade.”he added.
“The Strait of Hormuz cannot be stormed with a tweet or an aircraft carrier, nor by a presidential decree, nor by an electoral campaign speech”also insisted the Iranian diplomat.
“I made the right decision”
According to Brian Schwartz, a journalist from Wall Street Journal, which quotes a senior White House official, Donald Trump, on “joking”. “The president did not discuss with his advisors the possibility of declaring the Strait of Hormuz American territory after the war”this source told the journalist.
Donald Trump repeats that the United States has the ” control “ of the Strait of Hormuz, a claim that Tehran describes as ” lie “. In fact, this strategic passage for global oil trade has been blocked by Iran since the start of the war, while the United States for its part imposes a blockade on Iranian ports.
On Friday, Donald Trump also defended his decision to go to war to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, despite the increase in fuel prices that the Americans have since suffered. Compared to pre-war levels, the price of gasoline in the United States was up more than 35% on Friday.
Iran will not have “never nuclear weapons”said the Republican. “If you have to pay a little more” for gasoline, “it’s ok (…). I will never apologize. I made the right decision”he added.
Popularity rating falling
The conflict is unpopular, and household dissatisfaction with the cost of living has caused Donald Trump’s popularity to have fallen sharply.
This defense of the conflict in Iran comes just after a speech given by the American vice-president, JD Vance, which differed significantly in terms of the objectives pursued. “Oil has fallen, and it is much lower than the peaks reached at the start of the conflict. That’s the number one goal, to keep oil and gas cheap for Americans.”he declared on the Fox News channel.
“Then, objective number two is obviously to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon”added JD Vance, saying: “I think we are achieving both of those goals. »
