Trump Rejects Iran's Plan for the Strait of Hormuz, Renames It After Himself

Trump rejects Iran's plan for the strait

US President Donald Trump said he had rejected Iran's plan for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which was passed to Qatari mediators during the UN General Assembly session currently underway in New York. According to him, the strait is already "completely under the control" of the United States.

"They made an offer, but I rejected it," Trump said. According to him, Iran wanted to strike a deal that would see the strait reopened immediately, "because they are losing badly."

According to sources familiar with the matter inside the US administration, Trump has already privately rejected Iran's initiative and told aides that Tehran will resume bombing in November — after the US Congressional elections.

Earlier at the UN session, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi laid out Tehran's conditions for ending the war. According to him, if the necessary conditions are met, the strait could be reopened and normal shipping restored within seven days. If the United States agrees to this, Araghchi added, the two sides could move on to broader talks on "mutually agreed issues."

The United States, together with Israel, struck Iran in February of this year: officially, the strikes targeted Iran's nuclear program, which Israel claims threatens regional security. Since then, the Strait of Hormuz has been almost continuously closed to shipping.

A habit of renaming everything after himself

Besides his statements, Trump posted a map on social media with the Strait of Hormuz circled and renamed in his honor. This is not the president's first such initiative: he previously declared the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America," and did the same with Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes on the US-Canada border.

The president also tried to rename Washington's Kennedy Center after himself, but the move was blocked by a court — an attempt to place a plaque on the building stating it had been "renovated and restored by President Donald Trump" also failed, with the court calling it "linguistic gymnastics." The American Peace Institute, however, has officially borne Trump's name since December of last year.

Read also: 8 best places to swim near Prague: lakes, quarries and beaches within an hour's drive of the capital

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz