President Donald Trump announced  that he intends to formally declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States.  Speaking at the Nassau County Police Academy in Garden City, New York, during an event in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, Trump told a cheering crowd of law enforcement personnel that the geopolitical move would follow the military submission of Tehran.  It makes sense.

     “After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump declared, adding that a U.S. naval blockade currently ensures no ships pass through the vital maritime passageway unless authorized by Washington.  Trump’s declaration builds on statements he posted earlier in the week on Truth Social, where he declared that American naval power had established a “Wall of Steel” over the waterway, boasting that the United States maintained total control over the strait and suggesting that the U.S. intended to keep it.

     It remains unclear how such an annexation could be implemented under international maritime law, but the announcement also exemplifies the Trump administration’s hardline stance following the breakdown of indirect diplomatic talks in late July.  The geopolitical fallout was immediate, with Iranian officials rejecting the president’s claims of dominance. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, responded by stating that Tehran would not be intimidated by U.S. threats or military displays, insisting that the open or closed status of the Strait of Hormuz remains strictly under Iranian authority.

     Notably, although Iran’s central military command dismissed claims of total U.S. naval blockades as “fabrications,” ship tracking data from maritime analytics firms reveals that transit volumes through the strait have plunged to roughly 20% of pre-war levels amidst the military confrontation.  The Iranians are trying to hold out until the November elections, when they hope that Democrats win and start trussing up the Trump administration with lawfare, subpoenas and the inevitable impeachment. Failing that, they see the sunset of their troubles in the term limits of 2028. Their maximum Trump risk is only two years and then they win.

     Little do they realize that DJT is going to be the first of the Immortalized via AI Commanders in Chief. Virtual Trump, never resting, never stopping, no term limits, indestructible and everywhere a computer or smartphone is. This is going to be beyond the Obi-Wan Kenobi "Strike me down and I will become more powerful than you can ever imagine" line. Iran is never, ever going to escape the wrath of DJT. There is no end to Trumpism.