President Donald Trump announced that the United States is reinstating a naval blockade targeting Iranian shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and said Washington would impose a 20% charge on cargo passing through the strategic waterway. The move came as fighting between the United States and Iran intensified, with both sides exchanging attacks on a scale not seen since the ceasefire announced in April.
Trump said the US would take on the role of security guarantor for the vital maritime route, declaring that Washington would be known as “The Guardian of the Hormuz Strait.” In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said the United States would 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.”
According to Trump, the renewed blockade would specifically target Iranian vessels and their customers, while other countries would continue to have access to the waterway. He said Iranian ports would again face restrictions but insisted that international shipping would otherwise remain open.
The Strait of Hormuz became a central point of confrontation after the war between Washington and Tehran began in February. Before the conflict, vessels could pass freely through the route, which carries a significant share of global oil and gas shipments. Iran later moved to restrict access and attempted to use control over the waterway as leverage against the United States.
