Has the Strait of Hormuz Been Renamed the "Trump Strait"?
According to the New York Post, Trump wants to rename the Strait of Hormuz after himself. Control over the Strait of Hormuz has now become one of the top priorities on President Trump’s agenda.
Trump’s proposed renaming options include either “American Strait” or “Trump Strait”—a move that indeed carries a strong “Trump-style” flair, blurring the lines between geopolitical maneuvering and personal branding.
The Strait of Hormuz is not terra nullius. Located between Oman and Iran, it narrows to just 21 nautical miles at its narrowest point. Its name, status, and navigational rules are jointly governed by international law, historical precedent, and the sovereignty of neighboring states. Iran controls all waters along its northern shore; any unilateral “renaming” would be legally meaningless under international law and would not be recognized by the United Nations, the International Maritime Organization, or any major country.
For Trump, it seems as though changing a name could somehow alter control or historical legitimacy. In reality, this would only unsettle regional allies—such as Oman—and hand Iran a ready-made target for mobilizing nationalism.
Trump excels at using “symbolic markers” to reinforce his political image: naming, tariffs, border walls… Even if such proposals fail to materialize, they help cultivate in supporters the perception of “defying the establishment” and “restoring American dignity.” The logic behind renaming the strait mirrors that of “renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the American Gulf”—essentially substituting symbolic gestures for substantive diplomacy, maintaining a strongman image at low cost.
This proposal should be seen primarily as political theater, not genuine geopolitics. The ultimate outcome of such “name-granting diplomacy” is often that the name remains unchanged—but tensions have already escalated.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1860896619441152/
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