President Trump is talking about renaming another body of water. On Wednesday he mused on Truth Social about rechristening the Strait of Hormuz as “TRUMP STRAIT,” claiming the US now effectively controls the passage and suggesting the new name would make the strait “hotter” than ever, the Hill reports. Last month, he also said he planned to declare the waterway a US territory, without explaining how.
The strait, bordered by Iran and Oman, carries about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments. The US naval blockade amid the six-month-old war with Iran has disrupted traffic and driven up energy prices. Trump this week touted America’s “almost total control” of the route and Iran’s “totally collapsing” economy, and wondered when Iranians would “rise up and fight.” Despite Trump’s claim of control over the strait, traffic remains well below prewar levels, and transits dropped further this week amid renewed military strikes, CNBC reports.