US President Donald Trump has suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz after himself.
It comes after the US lauched an aerial bombardment of Iran, which was followed by Iranian drone attacks on US bases in Bahrain and in the United Arab Emirates.
Throughout the war, Trump has repeatedly said the US had control over the Strait – with American warships blockading Iran’s shipping and ports. In August, the President said he saw the Strait as "an American territory".
In a post to his Truth Social platform today, Trump said: "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!"
It's not the first time Trump has moved to rename geographic areas. Early in his term, Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America".
In his trade war with Canada, Trump stuck with the convention, calling Lake Ontario "Lake America".
The change was rolled out on Google Maps, while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Trump had reached out to Apple “directly” about the change – which is also now showing the new name.
The latest flare-up of violence in the Middle East came as the standoff seemed to be shifting slightly more in the US' favour, with the price of oil hitting around US$80 a barrel last month and Iranian leaders talking about growing economic hardships, said Sascha Bruchmann, an analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Middle East office in Bahrain.
US Central Command said the strikes focused on Iranian military targets including air defence sites, radar systems and maritime assets. But Iranian media said one US strike hit a home hosting a wedding in Kuhestak, a small town on the coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi shipping company Bahri said two Filipino sailors were killed in an attack late Monday as their vessel transited the strait.
During last month's lull in fighting, the US ramped up economic pressure on Iran as Washington sought to fully open the Strait of Hormuz.
Since the fighting resumed over the weekend, the price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, has climbed to around US$95, up more than 30% from the start of the war.
About a fifth of the world's traded oil was shipped through the key waterway before Israel and the US attacked Iran on February 28, and Iran largely shut it down in response. Despite many pronouncements from Washington that the strait is open, only a handful of ships are making the passage each day, and Iran has regularly attacked vessels.
A ceasefire deal reached in June quickly fell apart amid exchanges of strikes that same month. Mediator Pakistan has been working to restart talks.
Late Tuesday, Trump said he would not force Iran to the bargaining table.
“I couldn’t care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement. I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing. They are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?”
- Additional reporting from AP
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