WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD/LONDON/CAIRO/JERUSALEM – US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory.

"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," he said during a rally in Garden City, New York. 

The Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, is one of the world's most important energy shipping chokepoints.

Two tankers struck by drones in Strait of Hormuz

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Friday that two tankers were struck by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, sustaining minor damage with all crew reported safe.

According to two UKMTO advisories, military authorities reported that the tankers were hit by UAVs while conducting outbound transit of the strait.

The advisories said both vessels sustained only minor damage. All crew members were reported safe, and no environmental impact has been reported.

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Islamabad MoU

During a meeting with US Charge d'Affaires Natalie A Baker on Friday, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar stressed the importance of implementing the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 18.

He said that implementation of the MoU "in letter and spirit" was the only way forward, reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to regional peace and security while safeguarding its national interests, according to a statement issued by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting focused on Pakistan-US bilateral cooperation and recent regional developments.

Egyptian, Turkish, Saudi foreign ministers meet

In another development, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia met in the Egyptian coastal city of El Alamein to discuss regional developments, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud held a "fraternal meeting" on Thursday, the ministry said in a statement.

The trilateral meeting came amid continued coordination among Egypt, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan through the regional R-4 mechanism, which promotes consultation and coordination among the four countries on efforts to ease tensions and promote security and stability in the region.

US military planes linked to unusual delays at Israel's airport

Separately, US military refueling aircraft stationed at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport contributed to hours-long flight delays on Friday, the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) said.

Delays of several hours were reported for takeoffs and landings at the airport, with an unusual backlog of about 90 flights putting heavy pressure on airport operations, the IAA said in a statement.

The authority said one of the main factors behind the delays was the presence of US military refueling planes, which has reduced the number of available aircraft parking spots, limited the airport's operational flexibility and put additional pressure on ground services.

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US military aircraft have been stationed at the Israeli airport since late February, when the US-Israeli offensive against Iran began.