Iran-US war latest: Trump claims Strait of Hormuz is open with all mines removed after declaring it ‘new US territory’

# Analysis Trump's declaration that the Strait of Hormuz constitutes "new US territory" marks a dangerous escalation that could destabilize global energy markets and international law simultaneously. The Strait handles roughly 20 percent of the world's oil transit, making it critical infrastructure for economies from Europe to Asia; any sustained disruption would immediately spike energy prices and trigger recession fears across markets already pricing in geopolitical risk. The claim directly contradicts decades of international maritime law established through the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which recognizes the waterway as belonging to Iran and Oman with rights of passage for all nations, meaning this unilateral assertion could provoke Iranian military response or prompt allied nations to challenge US authority in other strategic waterways. Without verifiable evidence that mines have actually been cleared—and with negotiations stalled—this statement appears designed more for domestic political messaging than operational reality, yet the rhetoric itself becomes destabilizing by signaling the administration's willingness to treat international agreements as negotiable and by raising the probability of miscalculation between heavily armed naval forces operating in confined waters.