Trump jokingly refers to Hormuz as the ‘Strait of Trump’ at Miami summit: ‘Such a terrible mistake’

MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA: At a Miami summit sponsored by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, President Donald Trump sparked laughter when he mistakenly referred to the Strait of Hormuz as the “Strait of Trump.”

The slip-up came as he announced he would delay strikes on Iran’s energy plants until April 6, giving Tehran more time to reopen the strategically vital waterway, which has been effectively blocked, sending global oil prices soaring.

Trump admits making 'terrible mistake' at FII Priority Summit

“We’re negotiating now, and it would be great if we could do something, but they have to open it up. They have to open up the Strait of Trump, I mean, Hormuz," he said, drawing laughter from the audience.

Trump quickly acknowledged his slip-up, adding, “Excuse me, I’m so sorry. Such a terrible mistake." With his signature sarcasm, he continued, “The fake news will say ‘he accidentally said Strait of Trump.’ No, there’s no accidents with me. Not too many."

Shifting to military matters, Trump emphasized that the US armed forces were achieving their objectives in the ongoing conflict, despite reports of indirect talks that Tehran has publicly denied. “We’re closer than ever to the rise of the Middle East that is finally free at last from Iranian terror and nuclear blackmail," he declared.

Highlighting his administration’s military actions, he said, “Under my leadership, America is ending the threat posed by this radical regime, decimating Iran’s capabilities with Operation Epic Fury, something that nobody has ever seen. We have the most powerful military by far in the world."

He also framed Iran’s previous behavior as a longstanding threat, saying, “For 47 years, Iran has been known as the bully of the Middle East, but they are not the bully any longer."

Trump also recalled the targeted killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani during his first term, asserting that the regime was “extremely happy" when he ordered the strikes, and claimed that most of Iran’s leadership had been eliminated.

Trump claims Iran is begging to make a deal amid rising oil prices

In his Miami speech, Trump also claimed that Iran was feeling the pressure and was ready to negotiate, pointing to recent oil shipments as evidence.

“They're being hit so hard. Anybody would be negotiating. They are negotiating. They're begging to make a deal. They're begging to make a deal," he stated.

The president further added, "Turned out I was right. They were negotiating, which they admitted two days later. And in order to make up for their misstatement, 'We're going to send you eight ships of oil.' And the following day, I saw on one of the networks there were eight ships of oil coming out of Iran."

"And then they actually said, 'We're going to add an extra two.' And they added an extra two. We had 10 ships. And then people realized we were actually negotiating. We're negotiating now. And it would be great if we could do something, but they have to open it up," he shared.

Trump emphasized that the US expects Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway that has a major impact on global oil supplies. He warned that if Iran fails to comply, the United States would respond with military action, including targeting Iran’s power plants.