President Donald Trump has declared the Strait of Hormuz as US territory in a post on Truth Social.
Sharing a crude map of the region with a large blue circle over Hormuz, the post declared the vital shipping route as “NEW US territory”.
“The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect”, Trump said. “The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated”.
However, data shared by analytics company Kpler with The Independent shows that only ten vessels passed through on Monday, compared to 130 to 140 before the war.
Trump earlier confirmed that there are “no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled” with Iran.
US Special Envoy Jared Kushner, who is also Trump’s son-in-law, recently told Fox News Iran is ”not showing any interest” in a deal that is in the Trump administration’s best interest.
Iran had earlier said the shipping route is to remain closed until the US meets the conditions agreed in an interim deal, according to Iran’s top negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf in comments shared by state media.
Conditions include lifting the marine blockade and sanctions as well as freeing Iran’s frozen assets.
Egypt says Iran-Oman agreement could open door to Iran-US deal
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the Iranian-Omani deal could pave the way for Washington and Tehran to return to negotiations for a "comprehensive and permanent deal that addresses all concerns and enhances regional security and stability."
The statement came after a meeting between Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty and Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi. But it did not address Trump's latest threat against Oman.
The 60-day negotiating period ended this week between the U.S. and Iran with no clear end to the war in sight.
Ship traffic drops significantly in Strait of Hormuz
Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped significantly last week, with confirmed crossings falling 19.5 per cent to 95 transits.
Only three vessels made it through the waterway on Sunday, according to shipping data platform Kpler.
The ships used the Iranian-designated route through the strait, with no crossings recorded through the Omani routes.
Crossings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait increased 6.7 per cent to 254 transits, while so-called dark transits, in which ships turn off the transponders that broadcast their location, fell from 40 to 16, Kpler said.
Trump looms over negotiations to reopen Strait of Hormuz
As Oman and Iran say they are nearing a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump said on social media Tuesday that the US blockade of Iranian ports remains "in full force and effect," but asserted that all water mines have been removed and that other marine traffic was free to pass.
Trump posted a map depicting the strait as U.S. territory.
Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi appeared to respond to Trump's post.
"Just as Trump correctly wrote the name of the eternal Persian Gulf, soon his delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will either be corrected or we will correct the delusions of this deluded man," he wrote on X.
The Trump administration has told Oman it opposes parts of the yet-to-be-announced deal, according to officials briefed on the US position.
Those include joint Iranian and Omani management of the passage's exit route and the collection of voluntary fees from vessels, even if the money is used for security and maritime environmental protection.
The White House on Tuesday referred to Trump's remarks in the Oval Office and declined to comment further about Oman, the Associated Press reports
Recap: Trump declares Strait of Hormuz as US territory
President Donald Trump has declared the Strait of Hormuz as US territory in a new post on Truth Social.
Sharing a crude map of the region with a large blue circle over Hormuz, the picture declared the vital shipping route as “NEW US territory”.
“The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect,” he continued. “The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated.”
However, data shared by Kpler with The Independent shows that only ten vessels passed through on Monday, compared to 130 to 140 before the outbreak of war.
Trump earlier confirmed that there are “no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled” with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iran had earlier said the shipping route is to remain closed until the US meet the conditions agreed in an interim deal, according to Iran’s top negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf in comments shared by state media.
Conditions include lifting a marine blockade and sanctions as well as freeing Iran’s frozen assets.
Trump threatened to bomb Oman because he's unhappy with country's deal with Iran, officials say
Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman because he is unhappy the country is close to a deal with Iran to manage ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, two regional officials said on Tuesday, a day after Trump leveled the threat.
The officials said the Trump administration has told Oman it is opposed to parts of the yet-to-be-announced deal, including the joint Iranian and Omani management of the exit route out of the passage that's critical to global supplies of oil and natural gas. The officials were briefed on the U.S. position and how the administration views Oman's position.
Meanwhile, a projectile hit a ship as it sailed out of the strait, and a cargo vessel was rendered a "constructive total loss" by multiple projectiles off the coast of Yemen, according to the British military's maritime monitoring agency. The defense ministry of the United Arab Emirates said two ballistic missiles were launched from Iran toward the UAE.
An Iranian official said the strait would not reopen until the United States meets Iran's conditions.
Iran says it rejects UAE statement on missile launches
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei rejected a statement by the UAE that said Iran was behind missiles launched against the Gulf country.
He said in a statement the UAE's "accusations" were "baseless."
France to expel two Iranian diplomats in coming days, foreign minister says
France will expel two Iranian diplomats in the coming days in response to an incident in July involving two staff of the French embassy in Tehran.
"I had announced that this intolerable act would have consequences. And so it has. Two Iranian diplomats in France will be expelled in the very near future," foreign mMinister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a post on X.
Last month, the French ministry said the two French embassy staff had been detained and physically intimidated by Iranian security services in Tehran.
Barrot had summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires in Paris in protest following the incident on 19 July.
Barrot's comments came one day after the Iranian ministry said two French embassy employees, who were involved in July in a diplomatic dispute in Tehran, would not be allowed to return to Iran.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the two French staff had violated the Vienna Convention — which defines the rules and privileges of diplomatic missions — by engaging in activities supporting Iranian civil society.
French foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said in a statement that "the Iranian authorities have chosen to make completely false accusations against our agents and to fabricate a case of interference to justify their actions."
France to expel two Iranian diplomats in coming days, foreign minister says
France will expel two Iranian diplomats in the coming days in response to an incident in July involving two staff of the French embassy in Tehran.
"I had announced that this intolerable act would have consequences. And so it has. Two Iranian diplomats in France will be expelled in the very near future," foreign mMinister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a post on X.
Last month, the French ministry said the two French embassy staff had been detained and physically intimidated by Iranian security services in Tehran.
Barrot had summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires in Paris in protest following the incident on 19 July.
Barrot's comments came one day after the Iranian ministry said two French embassy employees, who were involved in July in a diplomatic dispute in Tehran, would not be allowed to return to Iran.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the two French staff had violated the Vienna Convention — which defines the rules and privileges of diplomatic missions — by engaging in activities supporting Iranian civil society.
French foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said in a statement that "the Iranian authorities have chosen to make completely false accusations against our agents and to fabricate a case of interference to justify their actions."
Comment - Donald Trump has found exciting new ways to embarrass America – can this one man stop him?
Israeli airstrikes hit Syrian airbase, drawing Turkish condemnation
Israel bombed an airbase in Syria on Tuesday, Syrian state media said, carrying out what appeared to be its first strike on Syrian government assets since March and drawing condemnation from Turkey and criticism from a US envoy who called it an "unnecessary escalation".
Syria's state-run Ekhbariya, citing a military source, said Israel carried out eight airstrikes on the runway and storage facilities at the Abu al-Duhur base, while a separate military source and a civilian who lives near the base said there were no casualties.
The Israeli military declined to comment on the strikes, while the Syrian defence ministry did not respond.
"We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability," ambassador Tom Barrack, the US special presidential envoy for Syria and Iraq, said on X.
"The United States continues to believe that restraint and engagement offer the more constructive course. We encourage all parties to prioritize logical discourse over further military incidents," he added.
Syrian foreign minister Assad al-Shibani called for the attacks to stop, saying Israel should recalculate its position toward Syria because it faced not only Damascus, but also its allies through its strikes.