Trump Maps Strait of Hormuz as US Territory

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, called the claim a delusion and said on X: "This strait will only be opened and closed under Iran's command, and as long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and stop indulging in delusions, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade."

Republicans on Capitol Hill are uneasy with the war weeks before voters decide control of Congress. "This situation in Iran is causing repercussions like you can't imagine," Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) told reporters Monday, according to Punchbowl News, adding that his party was "scared to death about the midterms."

The Washington Examiner's editorial page called the annexation push a mistake, arguing America should enforce freedom of navigation rather than claim the chokepoint. Raw Story cited an expert who flagged the threat as a violation of international law.

The Independent noted that the circle Trump drew takes in a stretch of Iranian land along the strait's northern and eastern edges — which would imply a partial U.S. occupation of Iranian soil.