US President Donald Trump has suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz after himself, claiming the strategically vital waterway is now under US control despite Iran allegedly launching near-daily attacks on vessels in the area.
Trump floated the idea of calling the waterway the “Trump Strait” in his latest social media post, in another attempt to assert US control over the conflict.
“Now that we have it under US control, should we change the name of the Strait of Hormuz to TRUMP STRAIT???
“Like America itself, it will be ‘hotter’ than ever before!” Trump wrote.
The proposal came less than 24 hours after the US attacked several targets in Iran, reportedly killing at least four people, including two children, at a wedding gathering in the southern city of Sirik.
Iran responded to Tuesday’s attacks by launching missiles towards US bases in the region.
The fighting also contributed to a roughly four per cent increase in oil prices.
While US officials have repeatedly claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is open and that millions of barrels of oil continue to pass through the waterway each day, oil prices have not fallen in recent weeks.
Iran, meanwhile, has continued to insist that the waterway is closed and under its control.
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday accused Iran of attacking an oil tanker, killing two people.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a monitoring agency linked to the Royal Navy, has also reported attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz almost daily.
Fuel prices have continued to rise in the US. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), petrol reached US$4.12 (RM16.63) per gallon on Wednesday, compared with less than US$3 (RM12.11) before the war began on Feb 28.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sparked the conflict by launching attacks against Iran and killing the country’s top leader earlier this year.
At the time, Trump had promised the war would last only six weeks.
However, the conflict, which Trump initially described as a “small operation”, did not end as quickly as promised and entered its seventh month last week.
Trump has continued to claim victory and US control over the Strait of Hormuz, while repeatedly saying Iran has been defeated militarily, despite Tehran retaining the ability to launch retaliatory attacks against US interests in the region.
Following Tuesday’s US strikes, Trump issued a stern warning to Tehran against retaliating, saying Iran would be “hit again at a level much harder and higher” if it responded.
Hours later, however, Iranian forces launched missiles and drones towards US bases in Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq.
Last month, Trump said he considered the Strait of Hormuz to be “American territory”.
Last week, he also renamed Lake Ontario, which borders the US and Canada, as “Lake America” amid an ongoing trade dispute between the two countries.
