Trump's Big U‑Turn on 20% Hormuz Fee, To Replace With Gulf Deals; Reinstates Full Blockade on Iranian Ports

Donald Trump recently reversed his proposal to impose a 20% fee on vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz, opting instead for trade and investment deals with Gulf states.

Donald Trump on Tuesday backtracked on imposing a 20 per cent fee on vessels using the Strait of Hormuz to navigate for energy and cargo trade and said that he would replace it with Gulf Deals. Taking to Truth Social, Trump in a detailed statement claimed that the oil is flowing in the Hormuz like never before for the entire world while reinstating that the US blockade on Iranian ports, Iranian oil trade continues to remain in place. The US President further said that based on “highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership”, he has decided to replace the “20 per cent United States reimbursement fee” with trade and investment deals that the various “Gulf States” will be making into the United States.

As Middle East remains on edge amid renewed escalation where both US and Iran fight to exert control of Strait of Hormuz, Trump said on Truth Social, “Oil is flowing like never before, thanks to the awesome Power of the United States Military. A special salute to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, and Commander of the United States Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper. Because of them, and all members of the Most Powerful Military anywhere in the World, BY FAR, the Strait of Hormuz is open to ALL Ship traffic except for Iran.”

Trump said that Hormuz is closed for Iran because of their lying, violent, malicious leadership, which is taking them down the path of TOTAL DESTRUCTION. “We will therefore have a FULL Blockade, but only on Ships coming to and from Iranian ports, or carrying anything have to do with Iranian cargo,” he added.

In what could be said as a relief for shipping companies who are sailing through the Hormuz, the US President said that he would replace the 20 per cent fee which he proposed to impose on vessels crossing the strategic route on Monday, with business and investment deals with Gulf states.

Trump said, “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States. Those Investments will be MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future.”

Mentioning that the proposed investment deals with Gulf states will bring large number of investments in the United States, Trump said, “As everyone is aware, we have the largest dollar investment into the United States, of any country in history, but these new investments will make that number even larger, and we will see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the United States at historic levels, which will create additional millions of high paying AMERICAN jobs! America is winning again, winning like never before. The days of Iran killing hundreds of thousands of people, including 52,000 protestors, are over and, most importantly, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON.”

Though Trump has claimed that oil is flowing in the Hormuz like never before, various maritime navigation tracking sites suggest that the traffic in the strategic sea passage has reduced to its lowest since the beginning of the US-Iran war.