Kamal Ghorui
US president Donald Trump on Friday winkingly referred to the Strait of Hormuz, the critical oil shipping route and a key choke point in the Iran war, as “Strait of Hormuz.”While speaking at the Future Investment Initiative in Miami Trump said, “Iran has to ‘open up the Strait of Trump, I mean, Hormuz,’” Trump said prompting laughter from the audience.He followed it up by saying, “Excuse me. I’m so sorry. Such a terrible mistake,” before adding, “The fake news will say, ‘He accidentally said’, No, there’s no accidents with me, not too many. If there were, we’d have a major story.”The comment comes at a time when the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil transit route, has become central to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The waterway typically handles the movement of nearly 20 million barrels of oil per day, making it one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints.Iran’s ability to disrupt or block access through the strait has contributed to significant volatility in global energy supplies and prices. The conflict is nearing its second month, even as the United States has claimed to have “obliterated” Iran’s military capabilities.Earlier in the week, Trump suggested that control of the strait could be jointly managed by “me and the ayatollah” as part of a potential resolution. He has also said that Iran is negotiating with the US and is “begging” to make a deal, though authorities in Tehran have denied any direct talks.Separately, a report by the New York Post, cited by Axios, said Trump is considering the possibility of taking control of the strait and renaming it either after himself or as the “Strait of America.” The idea echoes his earlier attempt to relabel the Gulf of Mexico.The remark is consistent with Trump’s long-standing approach to branding, where he has frequently used his name across business and public ventures. It also mirrors a previous post on Truth Social in October, where he jokingly referred to the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts using his own name.According to a White House announcement in December, the Kennedy Center’s board later voted to rename the institution the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”
