U.S. Central Command said that as of Friday, American forces had redirected 62 commercial vessels, disabled three, and boarded two in the Strait of Hormuz.By JNSU.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that after completing the defeat on Iran, “pretty soon” he’ll be declaring the Strait of Hormuz “a territory of the United States.”President Donald Trump said he plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory after defeating Iran, though it is unclear if this signals a new policy https://t.co/oaV16dMUFV pic.twitter.com/2TiMxLWye8— Reuters (@Reuters) August 14, 2026Trump spoke at a political rally in Garden City, N.Y.The president called on Americans to be mindful that they are paying “a tiny, little bit more” for gasoline in order to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran—the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world—from gaining nuclear weapons.Gasoline prices on Friday rose to a national average price of $4.0715 per gallon, up 29% from $3.1558 a year earlier, according to data compiled by the American Automobile Association on Thursday.Energy prices have climbed globally since the conflict in the Middle East started on Feb. 28, followed by Tehran’s decision to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for energy commodities and other supplies.Trump at the rally said that the U.S. counter-blockade of Iranian ports is ensuring that “no ships get through unless we want them to.”He spoke against the backdrop of U.S. officials saying they would ramp up the financial pressure on Iran.Earlier on Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters during a trip to Panama, “Indefinitely the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we’ll rotate ships in and out, as we have, and we’ll continue to,” Reuters reported.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Newsmax on Thursday, “Watch this space for more announcements coming next week, because we are going to apply measures like have never been seen in the history of economic isolation of a country.”Iran undecided about resuming talks with U.S.Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command said that as of Friday, American forces have redirected 62 commercial vessels, disabled three, and boarded two to ensure compliance with the U.S. blockade since resuming it on July 14.Tehran, however, maintained its defiance on Saturday, with Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi tweeting that the strategic strait “will be opened and closed only under Iran’s command, and so long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and stop indulging in fantasies, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade.”Also on Saturday, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Maj. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, hailed the Islamic Republic for bringing “the most heavily armed military in the history of the world to its knees,” according to Press TV, an Iranian state-owned outlet.The military chief communicated his message to his forces, which have carried out “unprecedented jihad” for six months against the United States.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian news outlet Shahrara News, cited by Reuters on Saturday, that his regime has not yet decided whether to resume talks with Washington.“Both Qatar and Pakistan continue to exchange messages and remain in contact with us, but that does not mean negotiations,” Iran’s top diplomat was quoted as saying by its ISNA News Agency, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.“Whether the Strait of Hormuz is reopened depends on the fulfillment of other conditions that the United States must comply with,” Araghchi said.Vance: US will come out on topThe confrontation with Iran will end with the United States in a stronger position and Tehran prevented from producing nuclear weapons, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday.“The thing I can say with confidence is I think this ends with the United States in a stronger position, with Iran not having a nuclear weapon, and with the Strait of Hormuz returned to a place where oil and gas prices are stable for the American people,” Vance told “The Will Cain Show” on Fox News.The vice president was responding to a question about the seemingly shifting nature of the Trump administration’s approach to Iran, including alternating threats of military action and prospects for a diplomatic agreement.Vance attributed the uncertainty in part to Tehran’s conduct.“The Iranians sometimes make commitments that they don’t honor. They make a deal, and they don’t honor the deal,” he said.The post Trump: I’ll soon declare Strait of Hormuz a US territory appeared first on World Israel News.