Trump Says No Iran Talks Are Happening, Vows to Turn the Strait of Hormuz Into U.S. Territory

President Trump said Tuesday there are “no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” walking back his own claim from days earlier that his administration had opened a back channel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Trump said the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz “remains in full force and effect,” adding that “the Hormuz Strait is open and operating” and that “all water mines have been removed or detonated.” The U.S. carried out additional strikes on Iran overnight, and the announcement came as Trump reached the end of his self-imposed 60-day deadline to end the Iran war [1, 2].

Trump also reiterated a claim first floated last week, posting a map on Truth Social declaring the Strait of Hormuz “new U.S. territory.” Separately, air defense forces in the United Arab Emirates detected what officials described as a missile threat the same day. International law specialists say a unilateral presidential declaration cannot transfer Iranian or Omani territorial waters to the United States, noting that formal annexation would require a treaty ratified by the Senate or an act of Congress, as with the Louisiana Purchase or the annexation of Hawaii [3, 4].

Why It Sucks:

Trump Administration and National Security Hawks

• Total control of Hormuz chokes off Iran’s leverage. Supporters argue the blockade and territorial claim are necessary to keep pressure on a regime being “very badly defeated,” denying Tehran the ability to use the strait as a bargaining chip [1, 3].
• Ending talks prematurely would be weakness. Hawks argue that cutting off back-channel contact with the IRGC and doubling down on military posture, rather than negotiating, is the only way to force a durable outcome after 60 days of conflict [1].
• The map is a statement of resolve, not just rhetoric. Backers frame the “new U.S. territory” claim as a signal to adversaries and allies alike that the U.S. intends to permanently secure a critical oil chokepoint [3].

Anti-War Progressives, Libertarians and International Law Experts

• A president can’t just declare foreign waters American soil. Legal experts note that annexing the Strait of Hormuz would require a Senate-ratified treaty or congressional statute, not a Truth Social post, and that unilateral annexation could constitute the crime of aggressive war under the UN Charter [4].
• This is executive overreach without a war declaration. Critics argue continued strikes and blockade actions 60 days into an undeclared conflict, now paired with a territorial claim, sidestep Congress’s constitutional war powers entirely [1, 3].
• Killing the back channel makes escalation more likely. Anti-war voices warn that abandoning the very talks Trump touted days earlier removes the only off-ramp and raises the odds of a wider, more costly war [1].

Gulf Allies and Global Oil Markets

• A missile threat just hit a U.S. ally’s airspace. The UAE’s detection of a missile threat the same day underscores how the standoff is spilling into neighboring states that have no direct stake in the U.S.-Iran conflict [2, 3].
• Shipping and oil markets can’t plan around a moving target. A blockade paired with a territorial annexation claim over one of the world’s busiest oil transit points injects fresh uncertainty into global energy markets already strained by months of conflict [1].
• Regional partners are being dragged into an unresolved war. Gulf states bordering the strait face rising security risks from a conflict entering its third month with no negotiated resolution in sight, even as Washington claims the waterway for itself [2, 4].

Sources & Citations:

[1] Washington Times: Trump says U.S. won’t talk to Iran, will rely on economic pressure, blockade
[2] CNN: Trump says no talks underway with Iran, UAE detects ‘missile threat’
[3] The Hill: Trump posts map labeling Strait of Hormuz as a new U.S. territory
[4] CNBC: Trump says no talks scheduled with Iran as he teases action in Hormuz Strait