--- title: "Trump claims Strait of Hormuz will become US territory after Iran defeat" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/trump-claims-strait-of-hormuz-will-become-us-territory-after-iran-defeat" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/trump-claims-strait-of-hormuz-will-become-us-territory-after-iran-defeat" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/trump-claims-strait-of-hormuz-will-become-us-territory-after-iran-defeat.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/trump-claims-strait-of-hormuz-will-become-us-territory-after-iran-defeat" category: "Conflict & Security" area: "Middle East" published: "2026-08-14T20:47:05.716Z" source_reported: "2026-08-14T20:29:29.531Z" updated: "2026-08-14T20:47:05.716Z" trust_score: 68 critic_score: 67 hype_score: 50 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-14T22:00:08.367482+00:00" --- # Trump claims Strait of Hormuz will become US territory after Iran defeat *The US president said no ship would pass the waterway without American permission, in remarks made at a New York event* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 68 of 100, higher is better. Trust 68: multiple independent outlets quote Trump directly with named source and specific location. - Craft 67 of 100, higher is better. Critic 67: clear reporting with specific names and locations, but no opposing viewpoints included. - Hype 50 of 100, lower is better. Hype 50: headlines are sensational, while the article only repeats Trump's statement. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Donald Trump said he would declare the Strait of Hormuz as US territory, a waterway through which a third of the world’s seaborne oil passes. - He claimed Iran had been heavily defeated in the war and that no ship could transit the strait without US permission. - The remarks were made at an event in New York, with outlets split on whether his tone was serious or joking. - No US official or legal mechanism for annexing international waters has been announced. US President Donald Trump said on 14 August 2026 that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz as US territory. The waterway, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, carries about a third of the world’s seaborne oil. Trump made the remarks at an event in Garden City, near New York. Trump said Iran had been heavily defeated in the war and that no ship would be allowed to pass through the strait without US permission. He also repeated that Iran would never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. The US has not announced any legal mechanism for annexing the strait, which lies between Iran and Oman and is considered international waters under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. ## How the outlets reported Trump’s tone The reports disagreed on whether Trump’s remarks were serious. ANSA, the Italian news agency, reported that Trump spoke of erecting a steel barrier in the strait and preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, without describing his tone. Sud Ouest and La Libre, both centre-rated, said Trump made the statement with a smile and in a tone suggesting he was joking. No right-rated report described his tone as joking. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mentioned that Trump’s remarks were made in a tone suggesting he was joking. None of the digests from any side reported that the Strait of Hormuz is considered international waters under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, or that no US official or legal mechanism for annexing it has been announced. ## Who covered it Shares of the 17 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 12% (2) - Centre: 17% (3) - Right: 71% (12) 0 of 17 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-14T22:00:08.367482+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 7 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-14T22:30:06.890Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Cumhuriyet, the only left-rated outlet with a full report, led on Trump’s statement that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz as American territory. It noted that the US had recently emphasised its dominance over maritime traffic in the strait, while Iran maintained that it controlled the waterway. The report did not mention whether Trump’s tone was serious or joking. ### Centre - The five centre-rated digests all carried Trump’s claim that Iran had been heavily defeated. ANSA’s full report quoted Trump saying no ship could pass the strait without US permission and that Iran would never acquire nuclear weapons. Sud Ouest and La Libre both described his tone as joking. Internewscast and Political Wire led on the declaration of the strait as US territory, without mentioning his tone. ### Right - All eight right-rated digests carried Trump’s statement that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz as US territory. Seven of them linked the declaration to the end of the war with Iran. Globo, El Mundo, Le Figaro, New York Post, Yonhap, The National Desk, KATV and WHAM all reported that Trump said he would make the declaration after defeating Iran. None of the right-rated digests mentioned whether his tone was serious or joking. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 1 - mixed: 7 - high: 9 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [South China Morning Post](https://scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3364120/trump-says-hell-soon-declare-strait-hormuz-be-us-territory) — 51st strait? Trump says he’ll soon declare Hormuz to be US territory - [WND](https://wnd.com/2026/08/this-is-what-i-voted-trump-delivers-stunner) — ‘This is what I voted for’: Trump delivers stunner about the Strait of Hormuz * WorldNetDaily * by Bob Unruh - [Anadolu Ajansı](https://aa.com.tr/en/americas/trump-says-he-will-declare-strait-of-hormuz-us-territory/4027859) — Trump says he will declare Strait of Hormuz US territory - [The Straits Times](https://straitstimes.com/world/united-states/trump-says-will-soon-declare-strait-of-hormuz-us-territory) — Trump says will ‘soon’ declare Strait of Hormuz US territory - [USA Today](https://usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/08/14/trump-straight-of-hormuz-territory-iran-war/91310185007) — Trump says he will soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory - [Washington Examiner](https://washingtonexaminer.com/policy/infrastructure/4688168/trump-says-soon-would-declare-strait-of-hormuz-united-states-territory-prices) — Trump says 'pretty soon' he'll declare the Strait of Hormuz a US 'territory' - [Globo](https://g1.globo.com/mundo/noticia/2026/08/14/trump-diz-que-vai-declarar-estreito-de-ormuz-como-territorio-dos-eua.ghtml) — Trump Says He Will Declare Strait of Ormuz as U.S. Territory - [Internewscast](https://internewscast.com/news/us/trump-vows-to-declare-strait-of-hormuz-u-s-territory-after-defeating-iran) — Trump Vows to Declare Strait of Hormuz U.S. Territory After Defeating Iran - [Washington Times](https://washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/14/state-hormuz-trump-jokes-annexing-middle-east-waterway-heart-iran-war) — State of Hormuz? Trump jokes about annexing Middle East waterway at heart of Iran war - [El Mundo](https://elmundo.es/internacional/2026/08/14/6a7f789ee9cf4a90188b45b3.html) — Trump Says that "Soon" Will Declare the Strait of Ormuz as "the U.S. Territory" - [La Libre](https://lalibre.be/international/moyen-orient/iran/2026/08/14/trump-dit-quil-va-declarer-que-le-detroit-dormuz-est-un-territoire-des-etats-unis-S6HHTCOJENGTHM2MMA7UJL4EOU) — Trump Says He's Going to Declare the Strait of Ormuz "a Territory of the United States" - [Sud Ouest](https://sudouest.fr/international/etats-unis/guerre-en-iran-donald-trump-annonce-qu-il-va-bientot-declarer-que-le-detroit-d-ormuz-est-un-territoire-des-etats-unis-30261027.php) — War in Iran: Donald Trump Announces that He Will "Nearly" Declare that the Strait of Ormuz Is "a Territory of the United States" - [Naftemporiki](https://naftemporiki.gr/kosmos/2150328/tramp-ta-stena-toy-ormoyz-tha-ginoyn-amerikaniko-edafos) — Trump: Strait of Hormuz Will Become American Territory - [Cumhuriyet](https://cumhuriyet.com.tr/dunya/trump-tan-hurmuz-bogazi-icin-yeni-cikis-amerikan-topragi-ilan-edecegim-2529185) — Trump Makes a New Statement on the Strait of Hormuz: 'I Will Declare It American Territory' - [Le Figaro](https://lefigaro.fr/international/guerre-iran-etats-unis-trump-dit-qu-il-va-bientot-declarer-que-le-detroit-d-ormuz-est-un-territoire-des-etats-unis-20260814) — War in the Middle East: Trump Says He's Going " Soon" to Declare that the Strait of Ormuz Is "a Territory of the United States" - [LaProvence.com](https://laprovence.com/article/france-monde/68249210473492/moyen-orient-donald-trump-affirme-que-le-detroit-d-ormuz-sera-bientot-declare-comme-un-territoire-des-etats-unis) — Middle East: Donald Trump Claims that the Strait of Ormuz Will Be "Early" Declared as "a Territory of the United States" - [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2026/08/14/us-news/trump-says-hell-declare-strait-of-hormuz-a-us-territory-after-defeating-iran) — Trump says he’ll declare Strait of Hormuz a US territory after defeating Iran - [Akşam](https://aksam.com.tr/dunya/trumptan-dunyayi-sarsacak-aciklama-cok-yakinda-hurmuzu-abd-topragi-ilan-edecegim/haber-1690709) — Trump Sets His Sights on the Bosphorus: "I Will Soon Declare the Strait of Hormuz as US territory." - [연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency](https://yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260815005200071) — Trump: "Will Soon Declare Strait of Hormuz as U.S. Territory" - [ANSA](https://ansa.it/sito/notizie/topnews/2026/08/14/trump-iran-pesantemente-sconfitto-presto-hormuz-territorio-americano_9bd3f73f-1a75-45e9-9697-d5d347bd9d93.html) — Trump, 'Iran Heavily Defeated, Soon Hormuz American Territory' - [Al Arabiya](https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2026/08/15/trump-says-will-soon-declare-hormuz-strait-us-territory) — Trump says will 'soon' declare Hormuz Strait US territory - [Metrópoles](https://metropoles.com/mundo/trump-diz-que-vai-transformar-estreito-de-ormuz-em-territorio-dos-eua) — Trump Says He'll Turn Strait of Ormuz Into U.S. Territory - [Just the News](https://justthenews.com/government/security/trump-declare-strait-hormuz-us-territory) — Trump to declare Strait of Hormuz as U.S. territory - [The National Desk](https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/trump-says-hell-declare-strait-of-hormuz-a-us-territory-when-iran-war-ends-tehran-war-conflict-waterway-gasoline-gas-oil-fuel-nuclear-weapon-department-of-war-secretary-pete-hegseth-president-donald-trump) — Trump says he'll declare Strait of Hormuz a US territory when Iran war ends - [KATV](https://katv.com/news/nation-world/trump-says-hell-declare-strait-of-hormuz-a-us-territory-when-iran-war-ends-tehran-war-conflict-waterway-gasoline-gas-oil-fuel-nuclear-weapon-department-of-war-secretary-pete-hegseth-president-donald-trump) — Trump says he'll declare Strait of Hormuz a US territory when Iran war ends - [WHAM](https://13wham.com/news/nation-world/trump-says-hell-declare-strait-of-hormuz-a-us-territory-when-iran-war-ends-tehran-war-conflict-waterway-gasoline-gas-oil-fuel-nuclear-weapon-department-of-war-secretary-pete-hegseth-president-donald-trump) — Trump says he'll declare Strait of Hormuz a US territory when Iran war ends - [Political Wire](https://politicalwire.com/2026/08/14/trump-says-hell-declare-strait-of-hormuz-a-u-s-territory) — Trump Says He’ll Declare Strait of Hormuz a U.S. Territory ## Questions **What did Trump say about the Strait of Hormuz?** Donald Trump said he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz as US territory, claiming Iran had been heavily defeated in the war and that no ship could pass without US permission. The remarks were made at an event in New York on 14 August 2026. **Is the Strait of Hormuz US territory?** No. The Strait of Hormuz is considered international waters under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. No US official or legal mechanism for annexing it has been announced, despite Trump’s statement. **Did outlets agree on whether Trump was serious?** No. Centre-rated outlets Sud Ouest and La Libre reported that Trump made the statement with a smile and in a joking tone. Right-rated outlets did not describe his tone, and left-rated Cumhuriyet did not mention it. **What did the right-rated outlets leave out?** None of the right-rated digests mentioned that Trump’s remarks were made in a tone suggesting he was joking, or that the Strait of Hormuz is international waters under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. 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