A map of the Strait of Hormuz bearing the words “New US Territory” — this is the image posted by American President Donald Trump on Truth Social, a move likely to further inflame tensions with Tehran just as the sixty-day truce between the United States and Iran came to an end.
Iran’s response was swift. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi took to X to fire back: the American president’s “illusions” “will soon be corrected, or we will be the ones to correct the illusions of this deluded man.”
The exchange comes as the situation in the Strait of Hormuz — a strategic chokepoint for global energy shipments — grows increasingly precarious once again. A vessel transiting the strait was struck by a projectile, with serious consequences: the impact damaged the engine room and caused the death of a crew member, according to the British maritime agency UKMTO.
Tensions extend more broadly across the entire Gulf region. The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Defence reported that its air defence systems had also detected a missile threat.
Trump’s provocative map thus emerges at an extremely delicate moment, as the possibility of renewed talks between Washington and Tehran remains open, with Ankara attempting to encourage a fresh diplomatic phase.
