Trump says he may declare Strait of Hormuz a US territory ‘after we finish defeating Iran’

Qatar on Saturday denied claims that it detained Iranian pilots, saying the airmen had violated Qatari airspace earlier this year and failed to respond to attempts to contact them, according to Reuters.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said on X that authorities followed established rules of engagement and “the necessary measures were taken to defend our territory in accordance with international law.”

Al Ansari said Qatari search-and-rescue teams later recovered the remains of one of the pilots and contacted Iran to coordinate their handover.

“We categorically deny the claims circulating regarding the detention of Iranian pilots,” Al Ansari wrote, adding that Qatar was surprised by the allegations “amid the ongoing diplomatic efforts and initiatives aimed at de-escalating tensions in the region.”

Qatar also invited an Iranian team to review details of the April search-and-rescue operation, but Tehran has not yet responded, according to Al Ansari.

Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s communications team on Saturday appealed directly to Iranians for financial support of its “Take Back Iran” campaign, saying public contributions are needed to sustain efforts aimed at challenging the Islamic Republic.

In a Persian-language video shared on X, the campaign said its activities include engagement with Iranian groups and experts as well as outreach to international political leaders and institutions.

“All actions in line with the campaign ‘Take Back Iran’... are part of the effort to strengthen national forces, carry the voice of the Iranian nation to the world, and take action to reclaim Iran,” Pahlavi Communications said in an English translation accompanying the post.

The campaign said its financial independence depends on support from ordinary Iranians, encouraging monthly or one-time contributions through its website.

“Every contribution helps sustain the actions, counter the Islamic Republic’s propaganda, and bring the voice of Iran’s national revolution to global public opinion and decision-makers,” the translated statement said.

U.S. Central Command released new photos Saturday showing U.S. Navy aircraft taking off from the flight deck of the USS George H.W. Bush as the ship sailed in the Arabian Sea. 

The aircraft carrier has been deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Epic Fury against Iran. 

CENTCOM previously said the USS George H.W. Bush has enforced the naval blockade of Iranian ports. 

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described Iran’s proxies as “pure evil” on Saturday after the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of violating ceasefire in Lebanon by attacking Israeli soldiers in a security zone. 

“Hezbollah severely wounds IDF soldiers knowing Israel will respond. Hezbollah rounds up children to put in the military zone [because] they want them to be in harm's way,” Huckabee posted on X about the Iran-backed terrorist group. 

He added that Netanyahu’s office “affirms what U.S. observes in Lebanon [and] in Gaza [with] Hamas.” 

Three Israeli soldiers were “seriously injured” in the attack, according to Israel.

“The IDF responded by striking the Hezbollah terror headquarters which ordered the attack,” the office added in a statement. “Only later did the IDF learn that Hezbollah deliberately put civilians in that military compound.” 

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that strikes it carried out overnight against Hezbollah killed a commander of the terrorist group’s Radwan Force special operations unit, who allegedly used his family as human shields. 

“Overnight, the IDF struck a central headquarters of the Hezbollah terror organization in the Ansar area in southern Lebanon, in response to an action carried out by the Hezbollah terror organization against our forces operating in the security zone in accordance with the ceasefire agreement,” the IDF said on X. 

“In the strike, the terrorist Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, a battalion commander in the Hezbollah terror organization's 'Radwan Force' unit, was eliminated,” it continued. “Along with him, several additional terrorists who operated to advance terror plots against IDF forces operating in the security zone were also eliminated.” 

“At the time of the strike, Hassan's family was also present with him in the military headquarters, and according to the claim, was harmed in the strike. It should be emphasized that they were not the target of the strike,” the IDF also said. “The strike was aimed in a targeted manner at Hassan, who was a lawful target for striking in accordance with international law. The terrorist used his family as human shields and hid with them inside the military headquarters.” 

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Hezbollah violated a ceasefire in Lebanon by attacking Israeli soldiers in a security zone along the border, leaving three “seriously injured.” 

“The IDF responded by striking the Hezbollah terror headquarters which ordered the attack,” the office added in a statement. “Only later did the IDF learn that Hezbollah deliberately put civilians in that military compound.” 

“Hezbollah is willing to do anything, including using its own civilians as human shields, to falsely accuse Israel of deliberately targeting civilians, which the IDF clearly did not,” it also said. 

The Israel Defense Forces said earlier Saturday that it struck infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.   

“The strikes were carried out following an action by the Hezbollah terror organization against our forces in the Ali Taher ridge area, which is located within the security zone where IDF forces operate,” the IDF wrote on X. 

Iran’s Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i said Saturday that the “owner and ruler of the Strait of Hormuz is Islamic Iran,” following comments from President Donald Trump that the U.S. could make the waterway its territory after the war. 

“The nonsense and fabrications of the criminal President of America regarding the Strait of Hormuz stem from the delusions of this featherbrained individual,” the Iranian official wrote on X. “In the real world, the owner and ruler of this vital global waterway is Islamic Iran.” 

“After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said on Friday during a speech in New York. 

Fox News Digital's Jasmine Baehr contributed to this post. 

The United Arab Emirates’ foreign ministry is blaming Iran Saturday for an attack on a ship affiliated with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), as the vessel was traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. 

ADNOC said early Saturday that one of its vessels was attacked while crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening.  

“The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned and denounced the hostile Iranian attack that targeted a vessel affiliated with ADNOC as it transited through the Strait of Hormuz, with no injuries reported,” the foreign ministry said Saturday. 

“The UAE further stressed the need for Iran to halt these unprovoked attacks, ensure its full commitment to an immediate cessation of all hostilities, and the complete and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in order to safeguard regional security, and maintain the stability of the global economy and trade,” it added. 

Two other ships affiliated with ADNOC were attacked by Iran on Thursday, the foreign ministry previously said.

Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this post. 

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said Saturday that it received a report of a bulk carrier being hit by an “unknown projectile” while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. 

The UKMTO added that the projectile hit the hull of the ship as it was near Kumzar, Oman, on Friday evening.  

“The crew are reported safe, no damage assessment has been reported and environmental impact is unknown at present,” it added. 

The development comes as the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said Saturday that one of its vessels was attacked while crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening. 

The United Arab Emirates said Thursday that Iran attacked two vessels affiliated with ADNOC as they transited the Strait of Hormuz. 

Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this post. 

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that it has struck infrastructure belonging to the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. 

“The strikes were carried out following an action by the Hezbollah terror organization against our forces in the Ali Taher ridge area, which is located within the security zone where IDF forces operate,” the IDF wrote on X. 

“The IDF will not allow the Hezbollah terror organization to harm the citizens of the State of Israel and its forces, and will continue to act to remove threats,” it added. 

Oil from the grounded Russian shadow fleet tanker Caroline Bezengi is spreading off the coast of Oman after the ship suffered an explosion of unclear cause in early June, a report said. 

Ambrey, a United Kingdom-based maritime risk and response company, said Thursday that it has been hired to salvage the ship, and that its personnel boarded the vessel with help from the Omani air force to assess its condition before stabilizing it. 

The vessel has been grounded off Qabiliyah Island in southwestern Oman since June. Its cargo previously has been estimated at more than 800,000 barrels, according to The Associated Press, which cited satellite images showing a growing oil spill. 

Satellite images also have shown that the tanker is increasingly submerged, and experts have warned of an unprecedented environmental disaster if the vessel sinks or breaks open and leaks its entire cargo, the AP also reported. 

“This is an extremely challenging situation, compounded by adverse weather conditions associated with the Khareef monsoon,” Ambrey's global response director Ed Wollaston said in a statement. 

The 899-foot Caroline Bezengi is believed to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” and has been sanctioned by the British government and the European Union for carrying cargoes of Russian oil. 

The Associated Press contributed to this post. 

President Donald Trump said Friday that the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier that has been deployed for more than 260 days, has gone on “not nearly long enough.” 

Trump made the comment after a reporter started asking him Friday, “family members of U.S. service members are concerned about the conditions onboard the USS Lincoln.” 

“Well no that ship is moving -- no they're not,” Trump interjected. “That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it's being replaced with another very similar ship.” 

When asked if the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln has gone on too long, Trump said, “no, no, no, not nearly long enough.” 

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also blasted media coverage of the USS Abraham Lincoln on Friday, accusing outlets of twisting the hardships of an extended combat deployment into a “false narrative.”

Fox News Digital's Jasmine Baehr contributed to this post.

A U.S. official told Fox News on Saturday that “We are not experiencing an uptick in mental health issues” aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and there are “religious, medical and mental health professionals available to assess and address concerns as they arise” among Sailors and Marines. 

The remark comes following reports this week claiming a decline in morale and conditions onboard the aircraft carrier, which has spent more than 260 days at sea during its deployment, in support of the U.S. war against Iran. 

“We have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship,” the U.S. official told Fox News. 

“USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) has five Navy Chaplains, one clinical psychologist, one clinical social worker, three behavioral health technicians and an embedded integrated prevention coordination (EIPC) counselor. The ship also has an expeditionary facility dog, CAPT Fathom, to support crew morale and emotional welfare,” the official continued. “These resources are available to Sailors and Marines throughout the Strike Group 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.” 

“Sailors go through normal transitions throughout a deployment cycle. Adapting to life at sea can be difficult, so we've learned how to provide resources and help Sailors with these transitions. We are not experiencing an uptick in mental health issues aboard Abraham Lincoln,” the official added. 

The official also said the USS Abraham Lincoln is “operating in a highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions.” 

“In response, leadership prioritized mission-critical supplies: first food, then hygiene items, then mail. Current reports from the ship confirm continuous access to clean water, functional AC, and healthy meal options,” the official said. 

Fox News’ Liz Friden contributed to this post. 

An Iranian official fired back Friday after President Donald Trump said he may eventually declare the Strait of Hormuz “territory of the United States,” insisting Tehran will continue enforcing its blockade of the strategic waterway.

“The Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on X. “Iran neither fears threats nor cowers before displays of power.”

Gharibabadi then claimed the U.S. has suffered “strategic and heavy defeats” and asserted that “the Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian.”

“This strait will only be closed and opened under Iran’s command,” he continued, adding that Tehran would maintain the blockade until the U.S. accepts what he characterized as the “reality of defeat.”

Trump said during remarks in Nassau County, New York, earlier Friday that after Iran is defeated, “pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” while touting the U.S. blockade and saying no ships pass through unless Washington allows it.

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Foreign Ministry has previously publicly identified Gharibabadi’s X account among its official government accounts.

Yesterday's Fox News Digital live blog offers additional coverage of the conflict with Iran.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he could soon declare the Strait of Hormuz “a territory of the United States,” an extraordinary remark as he touted U.S. military control of the critical waterway during the war with Iran.

“After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said during remarks at the David S. Mack Center for Training and Intelligence in Nassau County, New York.

The president also said he has used the military “a little bit more than I wanted to” but argued pressure on Tehran is necessary to prevent the Iranian regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

“We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.