Trump threatens to make the Strait of Hormuz a US territory: Can he?

President Donald Trump on Friday said he would designate the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States “pretty soon” as the status of the waterway, a global chokepoint through which a fifth of global oil and gas passes, remains under a military and diplomatic deadlock.Iran has fired back, dubbing Trump’s threats as “nonsense” as the memorandum of understanding signed between the two in June expires on Sunday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Iran says no decision yet on a return to talks with the USlist 2 of 4Is China seeking to copy Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blockade around Taiwan?list 3 of 4US aircraft carrier expected to relieve USS Lincoln in Middle Eastlist 4 of 4Qatar denies Tehran’s claim it is detaining Iranian bomber pilotsend of listTehran has blocked the passage to leverage it as a global economy kill switch, while Washington has maintained a military naval blockade against Iran’s ports, choking its economy further.In the apparent game of who blinks first – though Trump says negotiation with Iran “is like chess” – the US president’s military rhetoric has also followed a pattern throughout the ongoing war, which began on February 28. On many occasions, h...