U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz as “Trump Strait” despite the fact that the crucial waterway remains contested amid the war with Iran. “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. It is the latest geographical name change floated by Trump and comes a week after he ordered Lake Ontario to be renamed as “Lake America” amid a trade war with Canada. Trump also renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” on his first day back in office in January 2025. Neither Mexico nor Canada have accepted the changes. Many of the previous name changes started off as apparently jovial remarks by the 80-year-old U.S. president before he then followed through to make them a reality. Trump has in recent weeks repeatedly pressed a threat to claim sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, even posting a map showing the waterway as a “new U.S. territory.” But Iran has effectively shut down the chokepoint, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes, in retaliation for the war Trump started along with Israel in late February. Oil prices are rising again after U.S. forces launched fresh strikes near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday in response to what Trump said were new minelaying efforts by Iran.
