Trump’s Hormuz threat was a joke, White House official says

US President Donald Trump has not discussed with his advisers any plan to declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory, and was joking when he made the suggestion during a speech in New York, a senior White House official said.

The clarification followed comments Trump made on August 14 at a police academy on Long Island, where he said the United States could claim the strategically important waterway after the war with Iran.

According to Brian Schwartz, a White House economic policy reporter for the Wall Street Journal who attended the speech, the senior White House official said Trump had not met with advisers about such a move and characterised the president’s remarks as a joke.

NEW per a senior White House official- President Trump has not met with his advisers about declaring the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory post the war and was joking during his speech today in New York.

My observation while I watched the speech in person- he did chuckle after… https://t.co/QWyqrm438g

— Brian Schwartz (@schwartzbWSJ) August 14, 2026

Schwartz said Trump appeared to chuckle immediately after making the statement but then appeared to indicate that he was serious.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy transit routes, connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. The waterway typically carries a significant share of global oil shipments.

By Sabina Mammadli