Trump declares Hormuz 'new US territory'

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday posted an image on Truth Social depicting the Strait of Hormuz with the words “New U.S. Territory”, days after claiming that Washington has “total control” over the strategically vital waterway amid the continuing standoff with Iran.Trump’s latest post showed a map of the Strait of Hormuz marked with the words “New U.S. Territory”. The waterway, which lies between Iran and Oman, has remained at the centre of the confrontation between Washington and Tehran.The provocative map appeared after Trump claimed that the United States had "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important maritime routes for energy shipments. The move adds a striking territorial dimension to an already tense standoff over who controls navigation through the narrow passage connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

JUST IN: President Trump shares map showing Strait of Hormuz as a new US territory. pic.twitter.com/2WIcnFQeGD

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Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the strait would remain shut until the US fulfils commitments Tehran says were part of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries. "I want to state clearly that the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until the American commitments stipulated in the memorandum of understanding are implemented," Ghalibaf said in a speech broadcast on Iranian state television. Ghalibaf said Tehran wants the US naval blockade lifted, oil sanctions removed and Iranian assets held overseas unfrozen.