Donald Trump has provoked Tehran by jokingly declaring the Strait of Hormuz "new US territory", a comment that drew angry threats of retaliation from Iranian officials. The remark, made amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran, plays on the strait's critical importance as a global oil shipping chokepoint, making it a sensitive flashpoint even when raised in jest.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the narrow waterway, through which a large share of the world's seaborne oil passes, in response to Western pressure, so Trump's trolling touched a particularly raw nerve. Iranian officials responded with threats of their own, underlining how fragile relations remain between the two countries despite no formal escalation in policy.