Trump Declares U.S ‘Guardian of Hormuz Strait,’ & Imposes 20% Cargo Fee On Ships

The U.S attacked Iran for the third consecutive night even as Trump stated that a deal with Iran can still be reached if the Islamic Republic cooperates.

CENTCOM said that attacks would continue to cost Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial ships in Hormuz.

Trump had notified Congress that the U.S has resumed its strikes against Iran, giving the Pentagon an extra two months to operate in West Asia without congressional approval.

He also threatened to take action against Pickaxe Mountain, a nuclear site near Natanz that Western intelligence agencies claim is being used for an undeclared uranium enrichment program.

U.S also announced the reimposition of its naval blockade on Iranian Ports from 2000 GMT on Tuesday, after which oil prices rose by over 9%.

On Truth Social, Trump declared America as “THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT” and announced a 20% fee on all cargo transported through the strategic waterway.

He said that while Iranian ports would be under a blockade, all other nations could use the Strait.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi mocked the proposal on X by posting-

“POTUS is absolutely right that whoever guarantees safe passage should be compensated, he wrote, before adding: “20% is, of course, too much.”

U.S has firmly opposed Iran’s plan to impose a service fee in the Strait of Hormuz, stating that it is prohibited under international law.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that the June MOU signed between the U.S. and Iran is in crisis.

Baqaei said Iran would not honour its obligations under the agreement if America failed to do the same. However, he also said that Iran was continuing discussions with mediators from Qatar, Pakistan and Oman.