Video: Iran slaps back at Trump over Strait of Hormuz naming, calls alternatives ‘terrible mistake’
Abdullateef Fowewe
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi fired back at United States President Donald Trump on Thursday, sarcastically branding any attempt to rename the Strait of Hormuz a “terrible mistake” – echoing Trump’s own words.
In a post on X marking Persian Gulf Day, Araghchi highlighted Iran’s historical expulsion of Portuguese forces from the strait 400 years ago, in 1622.
“Today is Persian Gulf Day in Iran, marking our ancestors’ expulsion of Portuguese from Strait of Hormuz 400 years ago,” he wrote.
Araghchi praised Trump for using the term “Persian Gulf” in a recent map post – a nod to the traditional name favored by Iran – while taking a jab at the Pentagon and some Arab states that push the alternative “Arabian Gulf.”
“POTUS uses the correct term ‘Persian Gulf’, not the Pentagon’s fake version. But calling Hormuz anything else is indeed a ‘terrible mistake’.”
The remark references Trump’s recent speech, where he jokingly dubbed the vital shipping chokepoint the “Strait of Trump” before correcting to Hormuz, calling misnomers a “terrible mistake.”
The Strait of Hormuz, which Iran and Oman control, remains a flashpoint in regional tensions, handling about 20% of global oil trade.
The naming dispute underscores longstanding rivalries, with Iran insisting on “Persian Gulf” and Gulf Arab nations preferring “Arabian Gulf.”
