'20% Is Too Much. We'll Be Fair': Iran's Araghchi Trolls Trump Over Strait of Hormuz Proposal

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi rejected Donald Trump’s claim of guarding the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran has always protected the waterway while mocking the proposed 20% cargo charge.

Iran on Monday responded to US President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States would become the “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait” and control the strategic waterway, asserting that Tehran has long safeguarded the strategic waterway.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, “Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER.”

In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi said, “POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service.”

Taking a swipe at Trump’s proposal to charge a 20% fee on cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Araghchi said, “20% is of course too much. We will be fair.”

Araghchi’s Post on X

The remarks came hours after US President Trump announced that the US would reinstate what he called an “Iranian blockade,” declaring that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open “with or without Iran.”

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the measure would only restrict Iranian ships or customers while allowing other countries continued access to the strategic waterway.

“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating the 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 posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Trump’s Truth Social Post

Trump declared that the United States would be known as the “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait” and said Washington should be reimbursed for providing security in the region. He proposed a 20% charge on cargo shipped through the route to cover costs associated with maintaining safety and security.

“The U.S.A. 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. The process and formation will begin immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he said.

During the US-Israel-Iran war, Trump has repeatedly asserted that US forces controlled the strait. However, Iran has continued to exercise leverage over its adversaries by threatening and sometimes attacking shipping in the waterway, with knock-on effects on the world economy.

The exchange over Hormuz comes after a weekend of attacks stretching across the wider Middle East, further threatening any diplomacy to end the war that began on February 28.

The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said that its forces hit dozens of sites in the strikes Monday, including air defence systems, radar sites, missile and drone equipment and small boat; while missile alert sirens sounded three times Monday in Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, and Kuwait said it was intercepting hostile fire.

The series of tit-for-tat attacks was triggered after a container ship came under attack in the strait off the coast of Oman. The narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf has seen shipping disrupted since the start of the US-Israel-Iran war.