Trump reimposes Iran blockade, seeks 20% fee on all cargo shipped through Hormuz

Donald Trump went on to announce that the US would become the "Guardian of the Hormuz Strait" and said countries using the shipping lane should bear the cost of its protection.

In Short

• US to become guardian of the Hormuz, says Trump
• He says the strait will remain open with or without Iran
• Iran says American intervention will be strongly confronted

Hours after saying the United States would "take control" of the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump on Monday declared that he was reimposing what he called an "Iranian blockade," saying Washington would assume responsibility for securing the strategic waterway and seek a 20 per cent reimbursement on all cargo passing through it.

The announcement came hours after Trump said in a Fox News interview that the US would "take control" of the Strait of Hormuz and become its "guardian." His latest remarks, posted on Truth Social, marked a significant escalation in Washington's rhetoric as tensions with Iran continued to rise following days of military exchanges in the Gulf.

"The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran's ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The US President went on to announce that the US would become the "Guardian of the Hormuz Strait" and said countries using the shipping lane should bear the cost of its protection.

"The USA will be, from this point forward, known as 'THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,' but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World," he said, adding that "the process and formation will begin immediately."

The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and carries roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Any disruption to traffic through the narrow waterway has immediate implications for energy markets and international trade.

TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON HORMUZ CLAIM

Trump's Truth Social post followed comments he made in a phone interview with Fox News, where he first proposed that the US should effectively control the strategic chokepoint.

"We're going to keep the strait, and we'll probably run it. We'll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we'll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And we should be reimbursed for that," he said.

This came as Washington and Tehran traded competing claims over the Strait of Hormuz following renewed military confrontations in the Gulf.\

IRAN REJECTS US ROLE

Tehran immediately rejected Trump's proposal, with Iran's top joint military command ruling out any American role in managing the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran warned that it would not permit the US to intervene in the strategic waterway and said any attempt by US forces to pass through the strait without Iranian authorisation would be "strongly confronted."

The military also warned regional governments against cooperating with Washington, saying any such cooperation would be regarded as "war against Iran." It added that if the conflict widened, it would spread across the region and that "the responsibility lies with the US and its allies."

TRUMP ACCUSES IRAN OF STALLING TALKS

During the Fox News interview, Trump also accused Iran of repeatedly shifting its position during negotiations, claiming Tehran deliberately prolonged talks after agreements had already been reached.

"Yesterday, they had an 11-hour meeting.... They can't settle on one sentence in one minute," he said.

"Everything was agreed to yesterday and then they leave the room and call back and say, 'We had to make a couple of changes.' Changes? We're not going to make changes. They're professional negotiators. That's all they are."

The latest flare-up comes after US and Iranian forces exchanged heavy missile and drone attacks over the weekend and into Monday. Tehran has said it targeted US military facilities across the Gulf and has claimed control over the Strait of Hormuz.

- Ends
With inputs from agencies