On 2 September, US President Donald Trump proposed renaming the Strait of Hormuz the «Trump Strait». In a post on Truth Social, he justified this by stating that the waterway is currently «under US control». The strait is an international shipping route, parts of which lie within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, and does not belong to any single state.
Briefly about the main points
- Trump has proposed that the Strait of Hormuz be named after him.
- He justified this by claiming that the US controls the waterway.
- Back in August, the president had already referred to the strait as new US territory.
- The strait passes through the territorial waters of Iran and Oman.
- The IMO retains the established name ‘Strait of Hormuz’.
Previous post with a map
18 August Trump called Strait of Hormuz «new US territory» and posted a section of a map on Truth Social bearing this caption. The image highlighted the stretch of sea between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, where the strait is located.
The international status of the waterway
The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, and parts of it pass through the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. The International Maritime Organisation’s current operational guidelines designate these two countries as coastal states responsible for the routing of vessel traffic: the northern route runs through Iranian waters, whilst the southern route runs through Omani waters.
The IMO continues to use the name ‘Strait of Hormuz’ in its documents.
