The U.S.-Israel war on Iran transformed the Strait of Hormuz from a waterway where global shipping enjoyed free navigation to a virtual combat zone where safe passage depends on military might.
Iran used missiles and drones to close off the strait at the start of the war, while demanding that anyone seeking to cross must obtain permission and pay a toll to transit along an approved corridor near the Iranian coastline.
Since the ceasefire, the regime has used its weapons and the threat of continued salvos to enforce its claim over the strait and prevent ships from trying to use an alternate route that hugs the Omani coast.
The U.S. had previously demanded that Iran fully restore free navigation without tolls and defended the Omani corridor from Iranian attacks, with the Navy also guiding commercial ships along the way. Then, the U.S. didn’t charge anything for its services.
But President Donald Trump wants to change that, announcing on Monday that the U.S. will reimpose a naval blockade on Iran and demand reimbursement on all other cargo shipped through the waterway.
