US President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz as the “Trump Strait” amid escalating clashes with Iran, but hours later appeared to back away from the idea, saying it had simply been “thrown out there”.
Trump has repeatedly proposed renaming geographical landmarks and bodies of water during his second term, sometimes seemingly to needle other countries.
His latest suggestion came as he insisted the United States had full control of the strategically vital waterway, even as fresh fighting with Iran continued in and around the strait.
“Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be ‘hotter’ than ever before!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.
The White House later shared a map of the Gulf on social media displaying the proposed name, adding: “It’s got a nice ring to it.”
Trump has in recent weeks repeatedly threatened to claim sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, at one point posting a map depicting the waterway as a “new US territory”.
But later Wednesday, he played down the prospect of actually renaming the strait.
“It was just thrown out there,” Trump said with a chuckle when an AFP reporter asked in the Oval Office whether he was serious about the proposal.
Still, some of Trump’s past suggestions initially dismissed as jokes have later become policy.
Renaming spree
Last week, Trump signed an order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” amid a trade dispute with neighbouring Canada, days after apparently raising the idea in jest.
Trump also renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” on his first day back in the White House in January 2025. Neither Mexico nor Canada has accepted the changes.
The president has also pursued a series of renamings in his own honour, including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.
Meanwhile, the US Treasury on Wednesday issued $1 coins bearing Trump’s likeness to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Iran war grinds on
Behind the renaming controversy, the war with Iran remains a deadly and unresolved conflict, more than six months after the initial US-Israeli assault.
Fighting has flared again following weeks of relative calm, with US forces launching fresh strikes near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday in response to what Trump said were renewed Iranian efforts to lay naval mines.
Iran said one of the US strikes hit a wedding and killed four people, calling the incident a “war crime”. Tehran subsequently launched retaliatory strikes against US bases in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq.
The conflict has also fueled a sharp rise in US fuel prices, adding to economic pressure on the Trump administration as Republicans face the prospect of losing at least partial control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy chokepoint through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies previously passed, in retaliation for the war launched by Trump and Israel in late February.
Trump said Wednesday that the United States remained ready to strike Iran again, although he indicated the renewed campaign would not continue indefinitely.
“It was a very heavy attack last night, and we’re prepared to do another one any time we want,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
AFP
