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Trump Strait proposal
President Donald Trump floated renaming the Strait of Hormuz to the "Trump Strait" in a Truth Social post, saying "Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT???"
“Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT???”
Trump made the suggestion as fighting between the United States and Iran intensified around the Strait of Hormuz, with the waterway described as a critical shipping corridor.
In the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump told reporters the renaming idea was "just thrown out there" when asked how serious he was.
The proposal followed Trump’s earlier renaming push, including an executive order to adopt "Lake America" in place of Lake Ontario, and Newsweek reported the Hormuz idea fit that broader pattern.
The Hill also reported that Trump said he could soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a "territory of the United States," even as the strait remains an international waterway.
Strikes, claims, and casualties
Trump said the United States was prepared to launch additional attacks on Iran "any time we want," after he described U.S. forces destroying military equipment Tehran was attempting to rebuild following overnight strikes.
In the Oval Office, Trump said, "We hit them last night because they took a shot at our base in Jordan," and added, "We hit them hard last night. They gave a little love-tap, but we hit them hard."
Iranian state media and a Baluch rights group said a missile struck a home in the coastal town of Kuhestak where a wedding celebration was underway, killing at least four people including children, and wounding dozens more.
The U.S. military said it was reviewing the reports, while the Pentagon told Newsweek via email, “We’re aware of the reports, which originated from Iranian state media. The U.S. military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC."
The Guardian also reported that Iran accused the United States of a "war crime" after a missile blast killed at least four people, including a young child, and injured 68 at a wedding in Kuhestak.
Oil chokepoint and next moves
The Strait of Hormuz remains only partially open despite repeated U.S. assurances, and Newsweek reported that before the war roughly one-fifth of the world's traded oil moved through the channel.
“Roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas is shipped through the waterway.”
The Hill said roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas is shipped through the waterway, and it reported that the U.S. maintains its naval blockade on the shipping route.
In a separate account, CNBC reported that U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC that more than 17 million barrels of oil transited the strait on Monday, described as a wartime record.
The Straits Times reported that Iran has effectively shut down the chokepoint, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes, in retaliation for the war Trump started along with Israel in late February.
Meanwhile, the Guardian said Trump told reporters he did not think the renewed campaign against Iran would last "too long," as fighting flared again after weeks of calm with U.S. strikes near the Strait of Hormuz on Sept 1.