US President Donald Trump has suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz “Trump Strait” amid renewed clashes between the United States and Iran.
Trump made the suggestion on Wednesday while insisting that the United States had full control of the strategic waterway, where fresh hostilities with Iran have erupted.
“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 platform.
The White House later posted a map of the Gulf on social media using Trump’s 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 and previously shared a map portraying the waterway as a “new US territory.”
However, he later appeared to downplay the proposal when asked by an AFP reporter in the Oval Office whether he was serious about the renaming.
“It was just thrown out there,” Trump said with a chuckle.
Trump has previously made similar suggestions that were initially dismissed as jokes before being implemented.
Last week, he signed an order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” amid tensions with neighbouring Canada.
He had also renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” shortly after returning to the White House in January 2025, although Mexico and Canada have not accepted the change.
Trump has also renamed institutions after himself, including the Kennedy arts centre in Washington, while the US Treasury on Wednesday issued $1 coins bearing his image to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Meanwhile, the conflict with Iran continues to escalate, more than six months after the initial US-Israeli assault.
Fighting resumed following weeks of relative calm, with US forces launching fresh strikes near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday in response to what Trump described as renewed Iranian efforts to lay mines in the waterway.
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.
The conflict has also contributed to a sharp rise in fuel prices in the United States, while Trump’s Republican Party faces the possibility of losing at least partial control of Congress in the November midterm elections.
Iran has effectively restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major global oil chokepoint through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.
Trump, meanwhile, said the United States was prepared to launch another attack against Iran, although he suggested the renewed campaign would not last too long.
“It was a very heavy attack last night, and we’re prepared to do another one any time we want,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office.
