U.S. President Donald Trump has floated the idea of renaming the strategically important Strait of Hormuz after himself, amid escalating military tensions with Iran.
Trump made the suggestion on Wednesday while claiming that the United States had gained control of the vital waterway, a claim disputed by Iran as fighting and attacks on shipping continue in the region.
The proposal was later amplified by the White House, which shared a map of the Gulf identifying the waterway as the “Trump Strait.”
The latest move comes after Trump previously suggested that the Strait of Hormuz could become US territory, as Washington and Tehran remain locked in a prolonged confrontation over the strategic shipping route.
The waterway, which links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, is one of the world’s most important energy corridors, with a significant share of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passing through it before the conflict disrupted commercial traffic.
Trump has also pursued or promoted other controversial geographical name changes during his second term, including the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and his more recent push to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America.
However, hours after floating the idea, Trump appeared to downplay the proposal, describing it as something he had merely put forward rather than a formal renaming plan.
