Hormuz Will Remain Open, With Or Without Iran: Trump Announces Blockade, Seeks 20% Fee

Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a naval blockade, saying the US would guard the Strait of Hormuz and seek 20% cargo reimbursement for providing security along the strategic waterway.

United States President Donald Trump on Monday, July 13, announced the reinstatement of what he called the “Iranian blockade,” saying that the Strait of Hormuz “is open and will 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 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.

Earlier today, while speaking to Fox News, Trump had claimed that the US will take ⁠over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has repeatedly asserted since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran that U.S. 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 remarks come after a weekend of attacks stretching across the wider Middle East, further threatening any diplomacy to end the war that began on February 28.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump said that the Strait of Hormuz is open to ⁠commercial traffic, though the US and Iran continued to trade attacks that have raised concerns over ‌safety on one of the world’s most important oil ⁠shipping routes.

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.

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.

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