Trump says Strait of Hormuz should be renamed ‘Trump Strait’

DALLAS, Sept 10: US President Donald Trump has said the United States should rename the Strait of Hormuz the “Trump Strait,” while declaring that Washington is “winning” its ongoing war with Iran.

Speaking at a Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, late Wednesday, Trump said oil prices would fall once the United States wins the conflict with Iran.

“We're winning it. We control the Hormuz Strait,” Trump said, adding that he believed the waterway should be called the “Trump Strait.”

“I should get something out of it,” he said, joking that Iran's leadership would be “thrilled” by the proposed name.

Trump also claimed that Iran was “falling apart” and said the country was no longer the dominant regional power he described as having been “the bully of the Middle East for 51 years.”

The US president also warned Iran against any activity at Pickaxe Mountain, saying Washington had detected what he described as “a little movement” at the site.

“We know exactly what's going on,” Trump said. “I would advise Iran not to get cute because we will have to hit them very hard. We have no choice.”

Trump reiterated that the United States would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.

The remarks came amid heightened tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy shipping routes, as the confrontation between the United States and Iran continues.

The comments also followed a memorandum signed in June that envisaged negotiations aimed at reopening the strategic waterway as part of a broader effort toward a peace agreement.