Former President Donald Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated image on Truth Social depicting himself participating in the seizure of an Iranian-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The image shows Trump holding an American flag alongside two heavily armed troops, with an Iranian flag on the captured vessel and a U.S. aircraft carrier in the background.
Trump captioned the image with "It's Our Oil Tanker Now!" The post followed a statement he made on Long Island hours earlier, declaring, "Pretty soon, I will be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States."
The AI-generated image and accompanying remarks were posted during a period of heightened rhetoric surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has stated it has reached an agreement with Oman regarding control of the waterway, a crucial global shipping route that the U.S. maintains should remain open. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated on X (formerly Twitter) that "This strait will only be opened and closed under Iran’s command, and as long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and stop indulging in delusions, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade."
These developments occur as regional tensions rise. On Saturday, the United Arab Emirates reported that Iran had attacked another Abu Dhabi National Oil Company vessel transiting the strait, marking the third such attack in a week.