US to tax Strait of Hormuz cargo at 20%, Trump says

WASHINGTON,— U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday that the United States is putting a naval blockade back in place around Iran, saying Washington will collect a 20% fee on all cargo moving through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran claimed it had shut down the waterway, Reuters reported.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump said the Strait of Hormuz “is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran,” adding that the U.S. is “reinstating The Iranian blockade.”

He said the United States “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 said the plan would take effect right away but gave no further details.

Earlier Monday, in a phone interview on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” Trump said the U.S. would likely take charge of the strait and be paid for the work.

“We’re going to keep the strait, and we’ll probably run it. We’ll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we’ll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And we should be reimbursed for that,” he said.

The Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil shipments worldwide, has become a central point of conflict between the two countries.

Iran’s blockade of the passage has driven up energy costs and stirred fresh worries about inflation around the globe.

“We’re going to be reimbursed, because the other nations are very wealthy. They’re on our side, and we can’t be expected to do that for nothing,” Trump said.

Iran announced the closure of the waterway Saturday, citing an unauthorized transit through the strait. On Sunday, Iranian officials said the route would stay shut until permits are issued once “stability and calm” return.

Trump said past agreements with Iran had fallen apart. “We had a deal. It was a done deal, and then they broke it. They always break it. We’ve had 10 deals with these people, and so we’re just going to hit them very hard,” he said.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Monday that regular shipping through the strait can only resume if the U.S. ends its military presence there, warning that continued interference “could lead to greater incidents in the global oil and gas sector.”

U.S. and Iranian forces traded missile and drone strikes over the weekend and into Monday. Iran said it hit U.S. bases across the Gulf region while keeping the strait closed, pushing oil prices higher.

The exchanges mark a major escalation from the past week, raising doubts about a temporary U.S.-Iran agreement reached last month meant to reopen the strait and pause hostilities during 60 days of talks.

(With files from Reuters)