On September 2, 2026, US President Donald Trump suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz the "Trump Strait" on his social media platform Truth Social, claiming the strategic waterway is under US control. Trump wrote, "Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be ‘hotter’ than ever before!" [1]

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint through which roughly 8 million barrels of oil flow daily, with about 17 million barrels passing through on September 1 despite escalating tensions between the US and Iran [2]. Oil prices have risen in recent days, with West Texas Intermediate crude reaching about $91 per barrel on September 3, an increase of nearly 9% over three days [2].

The suggestion follows a pattern of Trump attempting to rename geographic features for symbolic effect. He renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" in January 2025 and signed an order to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" during a trade war with Canada in late August 2026, though neither Mexico nor Canada accepted those changes [1, 3, 4].

The Strait of Hormuz has been contested throughout the six-month-long conflict with Iran, which began in late February 2026. Iran denies US control, claims the strait is closed, and has intermittently attacked ships and US bases in the region [1, 5, 2]. In response to Iranian minelaying and attacks, the US launched fresh strikes near the strait on September 1 and 2, killing at least four people including civilians in southern Iran [1, 5, 6]. Iran retaliated by launching missile strikes against US bases in the Middle East on September 2 [5].

Trump claimed US forces destroyed all new Iranian equipment being built along the strait. He said, "They tried to build new equipment along the Strait of Hormuz, we destroyed all of it, some defensive, some offensive," adding that the attacks might not last long but the US is ready for further action. "I don’t think too long. ... We’re prepared to do another one," he said [7, 2].

Despite suggesting the renaming, Trump later denied formal plans to change the name, calling it "just thrown out there" as a casual remark [6]. US Republican Party leaders are reportedly trying to avoid escalating the conflict before the November 3 midterm elections to protect their election prospects [7, 8].

US Energy Secretary confirmed around 8 million barrels per day flow through the Strait despite tensions, and US crude inventories dropped by 4.5 million barrels last week [2]. The US petrol price stood at $4.12 per gallon on September 2 [5].

The conflict and naming dispute continue to escalate, with no de-escalation announced. The US midterm elections set for November 3, 2026, remain a key political deadline influencing US actions in the region.