• Trump says MoU ‘was a test’ that Iran did not honour; claims they will be hit hard in the coming days• Claims Washington will be ‘guardian’ of Hormuz, suggests rate at ‘20pc’ of cargo shipped• Araghchi ‘agrees’ with Trump over imposition of toll, insists strait will be managed by Tehran• US bases in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman come under Iranian fire• Centcom claims targeting Bandar Abbas, Khuzestan and Bushehr• American missions in UAE suspend consular appointments
TEHRAN / WASHINGTON: In a break with its traditional stance of maintaining toll-free passage through Hormuz, the US on Monday announced its intention to take over the strait, charge a 20 per cent fee, and reinstate its blockade of Iranian ports.
The US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Centre said the blockade would take effect at 2000 GMT on Tuesday, and apply to all vessel traffic regardless of flag, covering the entire Iranian coastline including ports and oil terminals.
It said the measure would not impede neutral transit passage through the strait to or from non-Iranian destinations, and that humanitarian shipments would be permitted subject to inspection.
The move came as traffic in the crucial waterway fell to its lowest level in two months, amid intense missile and drone strikes across the region.
