US imposes 20% ‘safe passage’ fee on ships using Strait of Hormuz

PRESIDENT Donald Trump has announced that the United States will impose a 20 percent ‘safe passage’ fee on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, saying the levy will fund efforts to secure one of the world’s most strategically important shipping lanes.

In a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump declared that the U.S. would become the ‘Guardian of the Hormuz Strait’ and said all vessels using the waterway would be charged a 20 percent fee on cargo to reimburse Washington for the cost of providing 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,” Trump wrote.

He added that the policy would take effect immediately and insisted that all countries would continue to enjoy “fair and open use” of the strait.

The announcement follows renewed U.S. military operations against Iran after the collapse of a ceasefire between the two countries. Trump has vowed to strike Iran “very hard,” accusing Tehran of failing to reach an agreement with Washington.

The latest escalation comes after the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it struck about 140 targets over the weekend, with attacks continuing into Monday. Iran, in turn, accused Washington of sabotaging talks brokered by Oman on ensuring safe passage through the strait and responded with strikes on U.S. facilities in neighbouring Gulf states.

Trump also defended the move, saying the United States would no longer allow itself to be intimidated in the region.

“For 47 years they were pushing people around. They’re not pushing us around; we’re pushing them around,” he said.

The proposal mirrors an earlier threat by Iran to impose a similar toll on vessels using the Strait of Hormuz. At the time, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said such a charge would violate international law, a position also backed by the United Nations’ maritime agency, which maintains that no country has the authority to impose unilateral transit fees on the international waterway.

The renewed tensions have rattled global energy markets, with Brent crude rising to nearly $83 per barrel. In the United States, the average retail price of gasoline has climbed to $3.87 per gallon, according to AAA, reflecting growing concerns over potential disruptions to global oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for roughly one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil trade.

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