18.08.2026 16:30
US President Donald Trump escalated tensions in the Middle East to a peak by sharing a map that marks the Strait of Hormuz, a critical point for global oil transit, as "New US Territory." Claiming full control over the region, Trump's map post drew a very harsh response from the Iranian side, which said, "We will correct this dreamer's delusions."
US President Donald Trump escalated tensions in the Middle East by sharing a map marking the Strait of Hormuz, the heart of global energy transit, as "New US Territory."
As US-Iran tensions in the Middle East grow day by day, tensions have reached their highest level in the Strait of Hormuz, the focal point of the crisis. US President Donald Trump took his previous statements a step further by making a scandalous map post on his social media account.
CIRCLED ON THE MAP: NEW U.S. TERRITORY
The graphic shared on Trump's official social media account featured Iran, the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the strategic transit point, the Strait of Hormuz. The map, with the Strait of Hormuz encircled in red, was captioned "NEW U.S. TERRITORY." Trump's map post was interpreted as "turning the US Navy's control and blockade in the region into a de facto sovereignty move."
"IT WILL BECOME US TERRITORY AFTER DEFEATING IRAN"
Trump, who concretized his previously stated claims with the map he shared, defended the US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz in the Oval Office and in programs he attended, using the following words: "After completely defeating Iran, I will soon declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory. I like the idea of declaring the Strait of Hormuz US territory. We have full control over the strait."
HARSH REACTION FROM IRAN TO THE MAP
A harsh response came promptly from Tehran following Trump's map message. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, targeting the map and territorial claims shared by the US President, used strong words: "Trump's delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will either be corrected soon, or we will correct this dreamer's delusions. The Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized with a tweet, a map, an aircraft carrier, or an election speech."