US President Donald Trump threatened to declare the Strait of Hormuz “United States territory” after Iran is defeated, according to remarks delivered Friday at a police academy on Long Island, New York. The statement came as his administration has not reached an agreement to end the ongoing war with Iran. Trump said he would make the declaration soon and claimed the United States had imposed a blockade in the strategic waterway.

Trump said no ship could pass through the strait without US permission, though it was not immediately clear whether his remarks announced a new policy decision. The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil shipments. It is an internationally navigable waterway bordered by Iran and Oman, and tensions over its control have long persisted between Washington and Tehran.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on X that Iran would not be intimidated by US threats or displays of force, adding that opening or closing the strait was under Iranian authority. Iran has said it will not reopen the passage until the United States changes its behavior, and has demanded compensation for war damage, sanctions relief, and the unconditional release of seized Iranian assets.