(SeaPRwire) – By: Douglas Vance
Trump’s outlandish claim that the Strait of Hormuz is new US territory has sent global energy supply chains into quiet panic. Every major oil tanker operator is reworking route plans and stockpiling emergency fuel supplies right now. Insurance premiums for ships passing through the strait have jumped 400% in the last three weeks alone. Daily traffic through the waterway sits at low double digits, a steep drop from the 130 ships per day that transited before the war broke out in late February. Iran’s public jab accusing Trump of “Hormuz schizophrenia” is not just diplomatic trolling. It is a clear warning to shipping firms and regional partners that Tehran will not cede control of the waterway.
Trump’s official statements paint a picture of unchallenged US dominance over the strait. He claimed earlier this month that the US holds total control of Hormuz, called its blockade a “wall of steel,” and dismissed Iran’s navy and air force as nonexistent. The reality on the ground tells a completely different story. Trump recently backed off planned large-scale strikes on Iran, following reports of critical shortages of long-range guided weapons and air-defense interceptors. He has denied those shortages publicly, but military procurement records leaked to congressional staff confirm the stockpile gaps. Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei put the absurdity of the US territorial claim in plain terms in mid-August. He noted the claim is more detached from reality than the 7,000 miles separating Washington DC from the Persian Gulf.
Trump has shifted tactics to what his administration calls an “economic onslaught” to isolate Iran financially. Tehran has pushed back immediately, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noting the country has seen identical pressure campaigns from multiple US administrations before. Any attempt to enforce the US territorial claim by boarding or seizing Iranian ships will trigger an immediate Iranian response to shut down all traffic through the strait. The US does not have the weapons stockpiles or regional force posture to maintain open access to the strait if Iran chooses to block it. The post-American order in the Persian Gulf is already a settled reality, no amount of domestic political bluster from Trump will reverse that.
Author bio: Douglas Vance, maritime defense scholar and naval intelligence briefing coordinator with 18 years of experience tracking Persian Gulf security dynamics.