- President Trump proposed renaming Strait of Hormuz to
- This follows prior suggestions for Lake Ontario, Gulf of Mexico.
- US claims control; oil transit below pre-war levels.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday floated the idea of renaming the Strait of Hormuz after himself, suggesting that the strategically important waterway could be called “Trump Strait”.
The proposal came in a post on Truth Social, amid the ongoing war against Iran that the US and Israel started. The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a central point of contention in the conflict.
“Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT???” Trump wrote on Wednesday morning.
“Like America itself, it would be ‘hotter’ than ever before! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he added.
Trump’s Latest Naming Proposal
Trump’s suggestion comes less than a week after he signed an executive order to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America”.
It remains unclear how Trump would seek to implement a name change for the Strait of Hormuz, which is not near the US.
The order concerning Lake Ontario directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and his department to update the Geographic Names Information System with the new name.
Canada rejected the proposed change, although Google and Apple have recently updated their maps.
Earlier in his second presidential term, Trump also declared that the Gulf of Mexico would be renamed the Gulf of America. Mexico and other international counterparts rejected that change.
Unlike the Strait of Hormuz, the US borders both Lake Ontario and the Gulf of Mexico, which have carried their names for centuries.
US Says Iran Has Lost Control Of Strait
Trump and his administration have repeatedly maintained that Iran has lost control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Before the war began in late February, the waterway carried around one-fifth of the world’s oil trade.
However, transit through the strait remains well below prewar levels. Ship-trackers have reported that traffic has declined further in recent days as military strikes in the region resumed following a weekslong pause.
The Trump administration has said total oil exports from the region are now higher than before the war when Saudi Arabia’s and the United Arab Emirates’ pipelines that bypass the Strait of Hormuz are included.
Oil Shipments Through Hormuz
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC on Wednesday that more than 17 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, describing it as a new wartime record.
Before the war began on February 28, around 20 million barrels per day of crude and petroleum products were transported through the strait.
