Hours after stating the United States would take control of the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump on Monday announced he was reinstating what he termed an Iranian blockade. He said Washington would handle security for the key waterway and seek 20 percent reimbursement on all cargo passing through it.
The statement followed Trump’s Fox News interview remarks that the US would assume control and act as guardian of the strait. His Truth Social post signaled a sharper escalation in US-Iran tensions after recent military exchanges in the Gulf.
Trump wrote that the strait would stay open with or without Iran. He described the measure as applying only to Iranian ships and customers, while allowing fair access for other nations.
He added that the US would serve as guardian and that user countries should cover protection costs at a 20 percent rate on shipped cargo. The process would start immediately.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and handles about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Disruptions there affect energy markets and trade.
Trump’s post followed his interview comments proposing US control of the chokepoint and reimbursement for the role. The remarks came amid competing US and Iranian claims after renewed Gulf confrontations.
Iran’s top military command rejected any US role in managing the strait and warned against unauthorized US passage. It cautioned regional governments against cooperation, calling such moves acts of war, and said wider conflict would spread regionally with responsibility on the US and allies.
In the interview Trump also accused Iran of stalling talks by repeatedly altering positions after agreements. The latest clashes involved missile and drone exchanges over the weekend, with Tehran claiming strikes on US facilities and control over the strait.
