US President Donald Trump has suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz “Trump Strait”, saying the strategic waterway is now under US control amid renewed clashes with Iran.
Trump made the suggestion on Wednesday in a post on his Truth Social platform, asking whether the waterway should be renamed after him.
The White House later shared a map of the Gulf featuring the proposed name and said it had “a nice ring to it”.
Trump subsequently appeared to downplay the proposal when asked by an AFP reporter whether he was serious about changing the name.
“It was just thrown out there,” he said with a chuckle.
The suggestion came as fighting between the United States and Iran intensified around the strategic waterway. US forces launched fresh strikes near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday after Trump accused Iran of renewed efforts to lay mines in the area.
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 United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq.
Trump’s Renaming Push
Trump has previously backed controversial changes to geographical names. In January 2025, he renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America”, a change that Mexico and Canada have not accepted.
He also recently signed an order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America”, while other institutions and landmarks have been targeted in his naming campaign.
The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial global energy route, with about a fifth of the world’s oil passing through the waterway.
Iran has effectively shut down the passage in retaliation for the conflict, contributing to rising fuel costs in the United States.
Trump said the US was prepared to launch another attack on Iran, although he indicated that any renewed campaign would not last “too long”.
The Iran war has now continued for more than six months, with fresh fighting threatening to further disrupt shipping and global energy supplies.
