US President Donald Trump claimed at a campaign rally on 22 August that the Strait of Hormuz is American territory, while declaring that Iran would never be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon. The remarks, made without any legal or territorial explanation, drew immediate attention given the waterway's status as one of the world's most critical maritime energy corridors.

What Trump Said at the Rally

Speaking in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Trump told supporters: 'They wanna make a deal so badly,' before pivoting to the Strait of Hormuz and asserting, 'It's an American territory.' He offered no legal basis for the claim. The rally was primarily organised to rally Republican voters behind Darlene Graham, the party's Senate candidate ahead of Tuesday's runoff election.

Trump also framed the Iran confrontation as an unwanted detour from his domestic economic agenda. 'I hate to do this, but we're gonna have to take a little detour down to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we're gonna have to put out the nuclear weapons stuff because they're gonna have a nuclear weapon and we cannot let them have a nuclear weapon,' he said.

Claims About Iran's Military Losses

Trump claimed that US action had severely degraded Iran's military capacity, asserting the country no longer possessed an effective navy, air force, radar capability, or manufacturing base. 'Their leaders are gone. Their second set of leaders are gone. Parts of their third set of the leaders are gone,' he said.

He acknowledged the scale of the reported damage had complicated potential negotiations. 'In fact, it's actually one of my biggest problems. I don't know who the hell to deal with,' Trump said.

Remarks on Oil Prices and Iran

Trump linked the Iran standoff directly to global energy markets, predicting a drop in oil and petrol prices once the confrontation concluded. 'As soon as we're finished with the Islamic Republic of Iran, as soon as we're finished, oil is gonna be down at lower than it was even just a little while ago,' he said.

This comes amid broader volatility in global crude markets, where any disruption to the Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly 20% of the world's oil supply passes — carries significant consequences for energy prices worldwide.

The Rally's Political Context

The event was primarily a mobilisation drive for Darlene Graham, who received Trump's endorsement for the South Carolina Senate runoff. Trump repeatedly urged supporters to treat the vote as though his own name were on the ballot. 'I am on the ballot. We're all on the ballot. Our country's on the ballot,' he said.

Graham, in turn, pledged unconditional support: 'I will have President Trump's back 100 per cent,' she told supporters.

Trump also returned to his signature rally staple, reciting 'The Snake' — a song he regularly deploys to underscore his immigration stance — before making an offhand remark about Iran: 'Go back, bomb Iran a little bit more. What the hell?'

Whether the Strait of Hormuz remarks reflect a deliberate policy shift or campaign-trail improvisation remains unclear; the White House has not issued any formal clarification.