President Donald Trump will deliver a primetime address to the nation on Thursday, July 16, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, the White House confirmed without specifying a topic. The president announced the speech on his Truth Social platform, marking only his third formal Oval Office address since returning to power in 2025.
The remarks follow a series of escalatory statements regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Trump declared the United States the new guardian of the waterway and announced a 20 percent levy on all cargo transiting the strait. He also said the US would reinstate a naval blockade on Iran beginning Tuesday evening. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected the assertion, stating Iran has always been the strait's guardian.
The White House has not responded to requests for further detail on the planned remarks.