President Donald Trump announced that the United States will resume a naval blockade of Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and impose a 20% fee on commercial ships passing through the waterway.
The statement was made in a post on the former president’s social media account, in which he declared the strait would remain open to all nations except Iranian ships. He described the United States as the “guardian” of the strait and justified the fee as compensation for security efforts.
The announcement followed a series of attacks attributed to Iran on U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, as well as strikes on sites in Oman and Jordan. These incidents occurred after the United States launched a wave of strikes against Iranian targets on Sunday night.
Centcom officials said the U.S. strikes were intended to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels in the region. The attacks targeted air defense systems, radar sites, small boats, and missile and drone equipment.
Iran’s military command responded by rejecting U.S. claims of control over the strait and warned that any U.S. attempt to arrange transit outside Tehran‑designated paths would be met with strong resistance. The command described cooperation with the United States as an act of war.
In a separate interview, the president reiterated that Washington and Tehran had a deal that Iran had broken, and that the United States would take a leading role in managing the strait, demanding reimbursement for its services.
The situation has heightened tensions in the Gulf region, with Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan reporting interceptions of Iranian missiles or aerial targets. The United States has maintained that the strait is a vital maritime corridor for global trade and that Iran does not control it.
