WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he will declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States "pretty soon," asserting America's control of the crucial waterway through its naval blockade. Trump made the remarks during a visit to a police academy in Garden City, New York, as disruptions to shipping through the strait, a key shipping route for oil, natural gas and other commodities, have continued amid the war in the Middle East, leaving energy prices high. "After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated ... pretty soon, I will be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States," Trump said. "We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to," he added. Trump did not elaborate on his plan to declare the strait a U.S. territory at a time when Tehran seeks to maintain control over the waterway, viewing the strait as a pivotal source of leverage in its negotiations with Washington, particularly ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in November. The president said that though he used the U.S. military "a little