Trump’s Hormuz Gamble: A Desperate Bid to End an Unfinished War

Washington may be biting off more than it can chew: escalating over Hormuz could trigger a wider confrontation, undermine U.S. credibility, and expose the limits of American power.

A Strait at the Center of a New Power Struggle

Speaking at a police academy on Long Island, New York, US President Donald Trump said, “After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States. Essentially, that’s what it is. We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to.” A wise person would laugh and dismiss this statement, considering it ‘just one of those things that Trump says.’ However, the statement could be signalling something deeper at this critical juncture. The real question that needs to be asked is:

Is Washington defending freedom of navigation—or attempting to turn military dominance into territorial ownership?

Why did Trump make this statement?

The Hormuz Strait is, and will remain, under the control of the Iranian military, and there is no way the US military can physically remove Iran from its geographic location. So why did Trump make this absurd statement? One reason could just be Trump’s dour mood at the state of affairs. The other, more dangerous one, is that maybe there are some discussions happening in Washington along these lines. Is Trump discussing a way out with his senior military commanders? Conventional military force is clearly not a viable option, so is the US really considering tactical nuclear weapons? Whatever the way out, Trump’s motivation seems simple: The war must end, one way or the other. Why?

The first reason is that Trump supporters, known as the MAGA (Make America Great Again)........

© New Eastern Outlook