19.08.2026 22:22
US President Donald Trump's map showing the Strait of Hormuz as 'new US territory' brought the tension between Washington and Tehran to social media. While the Iranian side argued that Hormuz belongs to Iran, they responded to Trump's post with a map declaring California as 'Iran's new territory'.
The tension between the US and Iran has turned into a striking social media standoff following the severing of diplomatic contacts.
While Trump's map sharing regarding the Strait of Hormuz drew a reaction from Iran, the parties made symbolic map shares targeting each other's territories.
TENSION ESCALATED WITH THE "STRAIT OF HORMUZ" MAP In the latest phase of the crisis, both Trump's statements regarding diplomatic contacts and his map showing the Strait of Hormuz were influential.
Trump stated that contacts regarding the mediation efforts conducted through Oman were not ongoing, announcing that there were "no ongoing or planned meetings" with the Tehran administration.
The US President then published a map showing the Strait of Hormuz and its surroundings on his social media account. In the map, the strategically important strait was marked with the phrase "America's New Land."
IRAN: HORMUZ BELONGED TO IRAN, BELONGS TO IRAN, AND WILL REMAIN IRAN'S A harsh reaction came from Tehran to Trump's post. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi criticized the US President's approach to the Strait of Hormuz in a statement on his X account.
Gharibabadi described Trump's statements as "delusional," stating that Iran will not give up its claim over the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian Deputy Minister used the following expressions in his statement: "Just as Trump wrote the name of the Persian Gulf correctly, his misconception about the Strait of Hormuz will soon be corrected; otherwise, we will correct the delusions of this dreamer. The Strait of Hormuz belonged to Iran, belongs to Iran, and will remain Iran's. This strait is closed and opened only by Iran's order. As long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and abandon your delusional fantasies, Iran will continue to impose the blockade."
Kazem Gharibabadi RESPONSE TO TRUMP WITH CALIFORNIA In the social media front of the Tehran-Washington tension, however, the most striking move came from Iran's Consulate in India.
In response to Trump's map showing the Strait of Hormuz as US territory, the Consulate shared a map showing the US state of California. In the post, California was marked as "Iran's new territory."
Thus, the political tension that started over the Strait of Hormuz gained a new dimension with the symbolic "territorial declarations" made by the two countries' social media accounts.
TRUMP: WE HAVE FULL CONTROL OF THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ Meanwhile, US President Trump, answering questions about the agenda after showing the press the helicopter pad under construction in the White House garden, responded to the question of when they would resume negotiations with Iran, saying, "Maybe at some point. But right now, I think we're in a good position."
Explaining that a certain number of tankers continue to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and that a significant amount of oil is transported this way, Trump said, "We have full control of the Strait of Hormuz. That is, except for annoying situations like them shooting down a drone every now and then."