US President Donald Trump referred to the Strait of Hormuz as the ‘Trump Strait’ during a speech in Miami, Florida, on Friday. Speaking on Middle East tensions, he said:
“They (Iran) have to open it. They have to open the Trump Strait. I mean Hormuz.”
“Sorry, my mistake. What a terrible mistake,” he added, before clarifying:
“Fake news will say I misspoke. No, I didn’t really. Not much anyway.”
Trump urged Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz immediately, warning that failure to do so could result in attacks on Iranian power plants. At the same time, he announced a 10-day suspension on strikes targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure, citing ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington to avoid war.
Despite the pause, Trump emphasized that the US still has 3,554 potential targets in Iran ready for possible strikes. He added that while Iran was once a powerful nation, it is no longer as strong today.
This follows Trump’s earlier consideration of renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Gulf of America’, with analysts viewing his ‘Trump Strait’ comment as part of a pattern of asserting American branding on strategic locations.
