US President Donald Trump has proposed renaming the Strait of Hormuz as the ‘Trump Strait’.
He made the proposal in a post on the social media site Truth Social on Wednesday. The White House later released a map of the Strait of Hormuz with the changed name.
Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Now that it is under US control, should the Strait of Hormuz be renamed the Trump Strait??? Like America, it will become even ‘hotter’ than before!”
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It is one of the world’s most important energy transport routes. Before the war, an average of about 20 million barrels of crude oil and oil products were transported through the strait every day. About a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade passes through this route.
The waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula has become a key focus of the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran. Shipping traffic has declined sharply since the war began. Only four cargo ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, compared with 10 the day before. The 10-day average before the war was about 13 ships.
The decline in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is due to conflict and security risks. Iran has tightened controls on commercial ships passing through the strait. On the other hand, the United States has increased military and economic pressure on Iran. As a result, commercial shipping through this important sea route is being disrupted.
Tensions between the United States and Iran resumed on Sunday after more than a month of “informal truce,” with two Saudi tankers being attacked by missiles as they secretly passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia, one of the United States’ closest allies in the Middle East, is one of the world’s most important oil tankers.
In such a situation, Trump proposed to change the name of Hormuz. However, this is not yet an official name change decision. Trump made the proposal on social media. The White House also released a map with the word ‘Trump Strait’ in support of his proposal.
Trump’s interest in renaming natural bodies of water is not new. Shortly after taking office on January 20, 2025, he renamed the Gulf of Mexico “Gulf of the Americas.”
Then, last July, Trump renamed Lake Ontario, which separates the US state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario, “Lake America.”
Now, the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important sea routes, has been added to the list of names to be changed. If the name is changed according to Trump’s proposal, its new name will be the ‘Trump Strait’.
