Despite renewed hostilities with Iran and near-daily attacks on ships, President Trump said the Strait of Hormuz remains “under U.S. control.”
Published September 2, 2026
US President Donald Trump has proposed renaming the Strait of Hormuz after himself, reiterating that it remains under US government control despite near-daily Iranian attacks on ships in the area.
President Trump’s proposal on Wednesday came less than 24 hours after the United States attacked multiple targets in Iran, killing at least four people, including two children, at a wedding in the southern city of Sirik.
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“Now that it is under U.S. control, should we change the name of the Strait of Hormuz to the Trump Strait??” Trump wrote in a social media post.
“Just like America itself, it will be ‘hotter’ than ever!”
Iran responded to Tuesday’s attack by firing missiles at U.S. military bases in the region. The fighting caused oil prices to rise by about 4%.
Oil prices have not fallen in recent weeks, despite repeated claims by US officials that the Strait of Hormuz is now open and millions of barrels of oil pass through it every day.
Iran continues to insist that the waterway is closed and under Iranian control.
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday accused Iran of attacking an oil tanker that killed two people.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations Office (UKMTO), a watchdog under the Royal Navy, reports attacks on ships in Hormuz on an almost daily basis.
Gasoline prices are rising in the United States. The price reached $4.12 per gallon (3.8 liters) on Wednesday, up from less than $3 a gallon before the war started on February 28, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
When President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began the conflict by attacking Iran and killing its supreme leader earlier this year, the US president promised the war would last six weeks.
But Trump’s promise to end what he initially called a “quick trip” never materialized. Last week, the conflict entered its seventh month.
Still, President Trump continued to claim victory and control over Hormuz, repeatedly claiming that Iran had been militarily defeated despite its ability to fight back against U.S. interests in the region.
After Tuesday’s U.S. airstrikes, President Trump issued a stern warning against Iran not to retaliate, saying that if it did, “we will be attacked again, even more violently and at a higher level.”
But within hours, Iranian forces launched missiles and drones at U.S. military bases in Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq.
Wednesday’s “Trump Strait” proposal is the U.S. president’s latest push to assert control over the conflict, which critics say is a strategic mistake that is becoming a quagmire.
President Trump said last month that he considers the Strait of Hormuz “territory of the United States.” Last week, the United States unilaterally changed the name of Lake Ontario on the U.S.-Canada border to “Lake of the Americas,” citing continuing disagreements over trade between the two countries.
