On the afternoon of August 17, US Eastern Time, US President Trump said in response to media questions at the White House, “It is a good idea to declare the Strait of Hormuz as US territory.” He stressed that the US is “fully controlling” the Strait of Hormuz through a blockade. Last week, Trump publicly stated that after Iran is completely defeated, he will soon declare the Strait of Hormuz as US territory. In response to a question about the progress of the US-Iran negotiations, Trump said, “Iran wants to reach an agreement, but it will not reach the kind of agreement I think is necessary.” He did not disclose the progress of the negotiations, but only emphasized that “Iran cannot possess nuclear weapons.” When asked if the US plans to extend the memorandum of understanding with Iran, Trump gave a negative answer. On August 17, the 60-day negotiation window set out in the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding expired. The two sides signed this memorandum in mid-June, promising to conduct negotiations within 60 days to reach a final agreement. When asked about his statement that “Oman will be bombed by the US military if it blocks the opening of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said that he thinks Oman's “performance is not good,” but “we will settle it very easily.”

On the afternoon of August 17, US Eastern Time, US President Trump said in response to media questions at the White House, “It is a good idea to declare the Strait of Hormuz as US territory.” He stressed that the US is “fully controlling” the Strait of Hormuz through a blockade. Last week, Trump publicly stated that after Iran is completely defeated, he will soon declare the Strait of Hormuz as US territory. In response to a question about the progress of the US-Iran negotiations, Trump said, “Iran wants to reach an agreement, but it will not reach the kind of agreement I think is necessary.” He did not disclose the progress of the negotiations, but only emphasized that “Iran cannot possess nuclear weapons.” When asked if the US plans to extend the memorandum of understanding with Iran, Trump gave a negative answer. On August 17, the 60-day negotiation window set out in the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding expired. The two sides signed this memorandum in mid-June, promising to conduct negotiations within 60 days to reach a final agreement. When asked about his statement that “Oman will be bombed by the US military if it blocks the opening of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said that he thinks Oman's “performance is not good,” but “we will settle it very easily.”