Trump Proposes Renaming Strait of Hormuz to “Trump Strait”

On September 2, 2026, President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform a proposal to change the name of the Strait of Hormuz to "Trump Strait". This assertion came after a White House statement on August 28, 2026, stating that U.S. forces had taken control of the strategic waterway. The claims included the clearance of Iranian mines, the safe passage of nearly 1,500 commercial vessels protected by the U.S., and a reduction in vessels attempting to break a U.S. blockade.

Prior to this, Trump had also suggested renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" in January 2025 and Lake Ontario as "Lake America" a week before the Hormuz proposal. Despite Trump's claims, the Strait of Hormuz remains an international waterway bordered by Iran and Oman, and international conventions prevent any single country from renaming such features.

The Strait is a vital maritime chokepoint linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, and approximately 20% of global oil and gas transit through it. The geopolitical significance of this region has been heightened by the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, making any such geopolitical maneuver politically explosive.