'Change Name To Trump Strait?': US President Denies Plans After Pitching New Name For Hormuz

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday floated the idea of renaming the Strait of Hormuz as the "Trump Strait", citing that the United States now has control over the critical waterways.

Trump raised the suggestion in a statement on his social media platform, asking, "Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT???"

He further asserted that the suggested title would be "hotter" than ever before.

However, when reporters later asked him whether he actually intended to rename the strait after himself, Trump dismissed the idea. "No, no ... it was just thrown out there," he said.

Trump's comments came amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route.

During a press conference at the White House, Trump said the US is in control of the waterway and claimed American forces hasdestroyed Iranian military equipment being rebuilt along the strait. "We are controlling the Strait of Hormuz... Every once in a while, they shoot a drone and knock it down. But we have control, very strong control," Trump said.

He claimed Iranian forces have been rebuilding radar and missile systems and were also developing a rocket capable of dropping mines. "They were trying to build a rocket that drops mines. Who does that? Did you ever build a rocket that drops? I never heard of such a thing, but that's what they were doing," Trump said.

According to Trump, the system was nearly complete when US forces destroyed it.

The US President also said Washington is prepared to launch further strikes against Iran "any time we want", following another round of attacks. "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 White House.

Trump said the US military had "took out all of the new equipment that they tried to build along the Strait of Hormuz."

Iranian officials, meanwhile, said a US strike on Tuesday night hit a wedding party in southern Iran, killing at least four persons and injuring dozens. The US Central Command said it was looking into the reports and maintained that the US military "never targets civilians."

Strait Of Hormuz Tensions

The latest escalation has once again put the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of the conflict between Washington and Tehran. Iran has maintained the closure of the strategic waterway, while the US continues a counter-blockade targeting Iranian ports.

Before the war, around one-fifth of global oil shipments passed through the Strait of Hormuz, making any prolonged disruption a major concern for international energy markets.

The current conflict began after US-Israeli attacks on Iran that killed its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A subsequent truce between Washington and Tehran broke down following attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump's proposal to rename the strait also comes after his previous attempts to change geographic names.

Earlier, amid tensions with Canada, Trump proposed calling Lake Ontario "Lake America", although the name did not replace the internationally recognised designation. On Wednesday, Trump wrote Apple Maps announced that it has changed the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America. "So now that very important change of names, between Google Maps and Apple Maps, is complete, ratified, and binding," he stated.

Another renaming effort by Trump was formally adopted by the US government. After returning to the presidency in January 2025, Trump ordered federal authorities to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America". The name has since appeared on official US maps and government records.

Mexico opposed the move, with then-President Claudia Sheinbaum arguing that while the US could use the term for its own portion of the continental shelf, the wider body of water would continue to be known internationally as the Gulf of Mexico. (With Agency Inputs)

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