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

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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? »

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.

Greenland Issues ‘Strong Warning’ as Trump-linked Oil Firm Prepares to Drill

THE GUARDIAN: Island’s government says no approval given after Greenland Energy brings kit ashore for exploratory drilling

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | Jameson Land, a remote part of Greenland where the US company Greenland Energy has landed drilling equipment. Photograph: Terry Allen/Alamy
An American oil company connected to Donald Trump is preparing to sink wells in remote Greenland despite not having received permission from the local authorities.

As the US president renews his threats to claim the vast Arctic territory, materials to prepare for drilling were brought ashore in recent days on Greenland’s eastern coast.

That has prompted Greenland’s government to issue a “strong warning” that no approval had been granted to land the kit. “All future logistical matters must be advised and approved by the mineral resources authority – before they are carried out,” the government said in a statement.

Two days later, Trump made his latest menacing post on Truth Social, showing himself looming over a Greenlandic village.

Executives of Greenland Energy, a Texas company set up last year, have claimed that $1tn of crude may lie beneath the Jameson Land region. They announced plans to spend $60m drilling two wells to find out. » | Tom Burgis | Saturday, August 8, 2026

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Trump and his acolytes are disgusting, cruel, people who are devoid of all compassion, mercy, decency and honesty. They should never have been entrusted with the levers of power in the first place. — © Mark Alexander

"Greatest Humiliation" Andrew Neil Says Donald Trump's Final Years Will Be a "Nightmare"

Andrew Neil explains why the president is skating on thin ice.
Donald Trump’s presidency is a perfect example of why it is NOT A GOOD IDEA to entrust the leadership of a country, especially the leadership of the world’s hegemon, to a businessman. The skills necessary for success in business and commerce are very different from the skills necessary to lead a nation to success. Moreover, the bottom line—profit—is no sensible goal for the leader of a nation. There is far, far more to the successful leadership of a nation than merely turning a profit! If I am not greatly mistaken, Trump’s presidency will go down in the annals of history as a failure. — © Mark Alexander

« Un abus scandaleux de la fonction présidentielle » : Trump peut-il monétiser l’accès à ses publications sur Truth Social ?

Cette image provient de cet article du Figaro. | En temps normal, la seule perspective d’une enquête judiciaire aurait suffi à décourager ce genre de pratique, estime Renée Jones, professeure de droit au Boston College et ancienne directrice des finances d’entreprise à la SEC. DADO RUVIC / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - La holding du président américain lance ce samedi un abonnement à 100.000 dollars par mois donnant aux traders un accès anticipé à ses publications sur Truth Social. Une offre qui relance le débat sur la marchandisation du pouvoir.

Dans les États-Unis de Donald Trump, tout s’achète et tout se vend. Même la primeur d’une phrase présidentielle. Ce samedi 1er août, Trump Media, la société qui possède Truth Social, lance un service inédit : moyennant plusieurs dizaines de milliers de dollars par mois, les fonds spéculatifs et les salles de marché de Wall Street pourront bénéficier de quelques millisecondes d’avance pour voir les publications du président. Un avantage qui peut sembler bénin, mais aux conséquences énormes, les messages étant susceptibles d’influencer les cours en Bourse.

« Une longueur d’avance qui peut se traduire par des millions de dollars de gain sur le marché », rappelle John Plassard, responsable de la stratégie d’investissement chez Cité Gestion Banque Privée. L’initiative soulève une question vertigineuse, y compris aux États-Unis : le chef de l’État peut-il ainsi monétiser sa parole et en faire profiter le plus offrant ? Entre délit d’initié, éthique publique et risque de distorsion des marchés, Le Figaro décrypte les zones grises de cette forme inédite de marchandisation du pouvoir. » | Par Jean Kedroff | vendredi 31 juillet 2026

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Trump Aides ‘Don’t See a Way Out’ of Iran War: Senator Whitehouse | The Bottom Line

July 26, 2026 | The Americans who voted for President Donald Trump are seeing a “wholesale violation” of his campaign promise to avoid unnecessary wars, especially the United States-Israel war on Iran,

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Other countries increasingly see the US as similar to “some of the worst-behaved countries they have to deal with, where bribe requests, side deals, personal favours and ulterior motives are really what’s going on,” Whitehouse says. He adds that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “hasn’t been a good friend”.

Sadistic And Depraved’ - Journalist Who’s Visited Cuba Describes U.S. Policy

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In the midst of this crisis, Martin became the first U.S. journalist to interview Cuba’s president Miguel Díaz-Canel, as part of a provocative documentary entitled ‘Cuba After Castro.’

Martin’s documentary tells the untold story of the Cuban people. “Death is the policy. Mass murder is the policy that has been stated for decades to make the Cuban people suffer and overthrow their government.”

This in-depth conversation on the consequences of U.S. foreign policy goes beyond Cuba, as Mehdi and Martin also discuss her previous documentaries, centered around Israel’s crimes against Palestinians. Mehdi asks Martin about occupied Gaza, Israel, Marco Rubio and MORE. …

‘BONKERS’ US Saudi Nuclear Deal Shows How ‘Dependent’ Trump Is on MBS

July 22, 2026 | President Donald Trump has approved a landmark civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that could allow the kingdom to enrich uranium on its own soil.

The proposed 30-year deal is expected to face scrutiny in Congress, with critics warning it could increase the risk of nuclear proliferation and fuel a regional arms race. Supporters argue it will strengthen the US-Saudi alliance and keep Riyadh aligned with Washington rather than rivals such as China or Russia. Matt Frei and Mark Urban discuss what it all means in this segment of the Fourcast Indicators.


Dismember a journalist and be rewarded by getting all the privileges! Something looks wrong with this picture! As I have said before: Trump is trash! — © Mark Alexander

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Iran War Oil Shock: How World Economy on Brink of Something ‘Even Worse’

July 14, 2026 | President Donald Trump has U-turned on his threat to charge cargo ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz as much as 20% - but the US and Iran have continued trading strikes as Trump has told the US Congress that war has resumed.

So, can the US gain the upper hand? Will more US bombs and bullets really help? And has this whole episode proven that the memorandum of understanding, which was meant to end the conflict, was destined to fail.

In this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Defence and Intelligence Analyst, Mark Urban are joined by former US Navy Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, who is now a senior fellow at The Foundation for Defence of Democracies.

Trump ‘Flails’ Over Strait of Hormuz Plan after Fourth Night of Strikes

Jul 15, 2026 | “It looks like someone without really any plan, scrabbling for anything that will stick.”

Trump has renewed his threat to bomb Iran bridges and power plants in an attempt to resolve conversations with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, says Arieh Kovler.


If there really is going to be all this investment by Gulf countries in the US economy, one can only conclude that this will eventually lead to the increasing Islamization of the USA! Trump is such a good dealmaker, such a good strategist. — © Mark Alexander

Are US Politicians Too Old? | Global News Podcast

July 14, 2026 | The death of the longtime Repblican senator Lindsey Graham at the age of 71, and the hospitalisation of his 84-year-old colleague Mitch McConnell, have raised new questions about the advanced age of America's political leaders.

President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday last month - becoming just the second octogenarian president after Joe Biden. Several lawmakers are even older, including 84-year-old Bernie Sanders, 86-year-old Nancy Pelosi, and 92-year-old Chuck Grassley.

And while the likes of Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are still in their 40s, the age in the Senate is around 65 - a time of life when most Americans have retired.

We ask the BBC's Washington correspondent Daniel Bush about the benefits and drawbacks of an elder political class, why voters choose old age pensioners to represent them, and who may lead the US into the future, as some of its most powerful politicians near the ends of their careers.


Are American politicians too old? What a silly question! Of course they are too old! Most of them are geriatrics! In fact, America is a gerontocracy! An oligarchic, corrupt, gerontocracy! The super-corrupt Geriatric-in-Chief is the Orange Mussolini! Not only is he old and corrupt, he suffers from brain-rot too! — © Mark Alexander