Diplomacy & Geopolitics
Trump Strait: Trump says Hormuz rename idea not serious
US President Donald Trump suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz the “Trump Strait” on Wednesday, then later played down the idea when asked whether he was serious.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the United States had the waterway “under U.S.A. control” and asked whether the Hormuz Strait should be changed to “TRUMP STRAIT.”
The White House later posted a Gulf map on social media with the proposed name and wrote: “It's got a nice ring to it.”
Asked about the idea in the Oval Office later Wednesday, Trump said with a chuckle: “It was just thrown out there.”
The remarks came during renewed fighting with Iran around the Strait of Hormuz, a route through which a fifth of the world's oil passes. Iran has effectively shut the waterway during the war.
US forces launched fresh strikes near the strait on Tuesday in response to what Trump said were new Iranian minelaying efforts. Iran said one US strike killed four people at a wedding, called it a “war crime” and launched retaliatory strikes at US bases in the region.
Trump also said Wednesday that the United States was ready to attack Iran again, while saying the renewed campaign would not last “too long.”
Trump has previously threatened to claim sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and posted a map showing it as a “new US territory.” He has also renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” for US use and last week signed an order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America.” Mexico and Canada have not accepted those changes.
Update
Trump later said the renaming idea was “just thrown out there” when asked if he was serious.
Trump said the United States was ready to attack Iran again and that any renewed campaign would not last “too long.”
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 September 2026 at 19:47:34 UTC.
Update
The White House posted a Gulf map on social media marking the waterway as “Trump Strait” and said the name had “a nice ring to it.”
The item adds that fighting flared again after weeks of calm, with US strikes near the strait on Tuesday and Iranian retaliation.
Iran said one US strike killed four people at a wedding and called it a “war crime.”
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 September 2026 at 17:33:25 UTC.
Update
Trump’s suggestion came while the Strait of Hormuz remains contested amid the war with Iran.
Trump recently ordered Lake Ontario to be renamed Lake America and previously renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
Mexico and Canada have not accepted earlier US name changes cited in the item.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to claim sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and posted a map showing it as new US territory.
Iran has effectively shut down the chokepoint, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes.
Oil prices are rising again after US forces launched fresh strikes near the strait on Tuesday in response to what Trump said were new Iranian minelaying efforts.
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 September 2026 at 15:48:39 UTC.
Update
Donald Trump suggested on Truth Social that the Strait of Hormuz be renamed the “Trump Strait.”
Trump claimed the waterway was under US control, while the item says it remains contested amid the war with Iran.
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 September 2026 at 15:30:59 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The legal or practical status of any proposed name change for the Strait of Hormuz was not established.
Details of the latest US and Iranian strikes are based on claims by the parties involved.
Source
AFP news report published on .