US President Donald Trump said he would "pretty soon" declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory during a speech at a police academy in Garden City, New York, on August 14.

Trump claimed the US blockade effectively controls the strategic waterway, saying no ships "get through unless we want them to." The remarks came as he pivoted away from the event's original focus on crime and public safety.

He also urged Americans to accept more pain at the pump, saying it was the price of stopping a "very evil country" from obtaining nuclear weapons.