US President Donald Trump is prioritizing control of the Strait of Hormuz out of frustration that allies are not helping to secure passage through the important sea route.
After he eliminates Iran's influence on shipping, the White House chief allegedly plans to call the strait "Strait of America" or even name it after himself.
This is what sources of the NYT report.
It is noted that Trump considers Iran almost defeated and ready for a deal, but seeks to bring the matter in the Middle East to an end. In particular, the American leader wants to make sure that Tehran will no longer be able to block shipping and control the Strait of Hormuz.
"He does believe that if we’re going to guard it, if we’re going to take care of it, if we’re going to police it, if we’re going to ensure free safety through it that, why should we call it that [Hormuz]?” the official emphasized.
During a speech at a Saudi investment forum in Miami on Friday night, Trump said he was considering naming the strait after himself, not America.
"They have to open up the Strait of Trump — I mean Hormuz. Excuse me, I’m so sorry. Such a terrible mistake. The Fake News will say, ‘He accidentally said.’ No, there’s no accidents with me, not too many," the White House chief said.
After that, Trump added that there was a question about the Gulf of Mexico. He asked himself why the Gulf is called the Gulf of Mexico, because the United States dominates the region. After checking the data, he decided to announce that from now on it would be called the Gulf of America. This, he said, took about an hour, and the decision was made.
Meanwhile, as the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, as a result of Iran's strike on the Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia, 12 American servicemen were injured, two of them seriously.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.