Speaking at a campaign rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Friday, Trump said Tehran badly wanted a deal but questioned whether Washington was still interested in reaching one.
“I view the Strait of Hormuz as an American territory right now. It’s an American territory,” Trump said.
The remarks marked an escalation of Trump's claims over the strategic waterway, which lies between Iran and Oman and was a key route for about one-fifth of globally traded oil before the war.
Trump made a similar assertion last week, saying he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory after defeating Iran. He has also repeatedly claimed that Washington has “total control” over the waterway as the United States enforces a naval blockade against Iran.
Shipping through the strait remains severely disrupted despite competing claims by Washington and Tehran over its status. Only a handful of commodity vessels have recently passed through the waterway, compared with more than 130 ships a day before the war, according to ship-tracking data cited by Reuters.
Trump's suggestion that Iran is eager for an agreement came as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also signaled support for ending the conflict, though he portrayed Tehran as negotiating from a position of strength.
“It would be better to end the war today, when we are powerful and have dignity,” Pezeshkian said Friday, according to Iran's ISNA news agency. He also claimed that the international community recognized Iran's victory and criticized U.S. attacks on Iranian infrastructure.
During the rally, Trump urged his supporters to turn out in November even though his own name will not be on the ballot, warning that a Republican defeat could jeopardize his domestic agenda and expose him to renewed impeachment efforts.
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