Washington: US President Donald Trump has described the Strait of Hormuz as American territory while declaring that Iran would never be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon.
Trump made the remarks at a campaign rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where he sought support for Republican Senate candidate Darlene Graham ahead of Tuesday’s runoff election.
“They wanna make a deal so badly,” Trump said while discussing Iran. He then referred to the strategically important waterway and declared: “It’s an American territory.”
The President did not explain the legal or territorial basis for the assertion.
Trump also suggested the conflict with Iran had interrupted his domestic economic programme.
“I hate to do this, but we’re gonna have to take a little detour down to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we’re gonna have to put out the nuclear weapons stuff because they’re gonna have a nuclear weapon and we cannot let them have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
“We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump added.
The President said US action had eliminated that danger. “So we went down and we stopped them. They’ll never have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Trump claimed Iran had suffered extensive losses to its military command and infrastructure. He said the country no longer had an effective navy, air force, radar capability or manufacturing base.
“Their leaders are gone. Their second set of leaders are gone. Parts of their third set of the leaders are gone,” he said.
Trump argued that the scale of the damage had complicated any possible negotiations. “In fact, it’s actually one of my biggest problems. I don’t know who the hell to deal with,” he said.
The President later returned to the subject while reciting “The Snake”, a song he has frequently used at rallies to promote his immigration policies.
After asking the audience whether it wanted to hear the song, Trump said: “Look, it’s a Friday night. We have plenty of time, right? What the hell do I have to do? Go back, bomb. Iran a little bit more. What the hell?”
Trump also linked Iran to energy prices, predicting that the cost of oil and petrol would fall once the confrontation was over.
“As soon as we’re finished with the Islamic Republic of Iran, as soon as we’re finished, oil is gonna be down at lower than it was even just a little while ago,” he said.
The rally was primarily organised to mobilise Republican voters for Graham. Trump repeatedly urged supporters to treat the runoff as though his own name appeared on the ballot.
“I am on the ballot. We’re all on the ballot. Our country’s on the ballot,” he said.
Graham, who received Trump’s endorsement, told supporters she would stand firmly with the President. “I will have President Trump’s back 100 per cent,” she said.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important maritime energy corridors.
