Trump suggests renaming Strait of Hormuz as ‘Trump Strait’

United States President Donald Trump has suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz as “Trump Strait”, saying the strategically important waterway is now under US control, before later appearing to dismiss the proposal as a joke.

Trump made the suggestion on Wednesday as fighting between the United States and Iran intensified around the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil route that has been heavily affected by the conflict.

“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 said on his Truth Social network.

The White House later appeared to endorse the idea by posting a map of the Gulf on social media with the proposed name and the caption: “It’s got a nice ring to it.”

Trump has repeatedly threatened in recent weeks to claim sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, including sharing a map that depicted the waterway as a “new US territory”.

However, when asked by an AFP reporter in the Oval Office whether he was serious about changing the name, Trump played down the proposal.

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“It was just thrown out there,” Trump said with a chuckle after an AFP reporter asked him in the Oval Office if he was serious about renaming it.

The latest suggestion comes amid a broader pattern of geographical and institutional renaming by Trump since returning to the White House for his second term.

Last week, Trump signed an order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” amid a trade dispute with Canada, after previously appearing to raise the idea jokingly.

In January 2025, shortly after returning to office, Trump also renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”. Mexico and Canada have not accepted the changes.

Trump has additionally pursued renaming efforts involving institutions after himself, including the Kennedy arts center in Washington. On Wednesday, the US Treasury also issued $1 coins featuring Trump’s face to commemorate the 250th anniversary of US independence.

The proposal over the Strait of Hormuz came as the conflict with Iran continued to escalate after more than six months of fighting following the initial US-Israeli assault.

US forces carried out fresh strikes near the waterway on Tuesday after Trump said Iran had resumed efforts to lay mines in the strategic passage.

Iran said one of the US strikes killed four people at a wedding and described the attack as a “war crime”. Tehran subsequently launched retaliatory strikes against US bases in Jordan, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq.

The conflict has also contributed to rising fuel costs in the United States, while Trump’s Republican Party faces the prospect of losing at least partial control of Congress in the November midterm elections.

Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the war launched by Trump and Israel in late February. The waterway is a major global energy route, carrying about a fifth of the world’s oil.

Despite the escalating confrontation, Trump said the US remained prepared to launch another attack against Iran, although he suggested any renewed operation would be limited in duration.

“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)