Trump Says U.S. Should Collect Fee as ‘GUARDIAN’ of the Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump said on Monday that the U.S. military would reinstate a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and that, as the “GUARDIAN” of the waterway, the country would be entitled to a 20% fee on the cargo that passes through it.

With the exception of Iran and its clients, Trump said in a Truth Social post, all countries would have “fair and open use of the Strait.”

“The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as “THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will 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,” he wrote.

U.S. Central Command said Monday that the blockade would resume Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, keeping vessels from arriving or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas.

Trump’s announcement comes as diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Iran fell to their lowest point in weeks. On Sunday, Iran and the U.S. exchanged heavy fire, and CENTCOM said that the U.S. strikes were meant to degrade Iran’s ability to attack vessels passing through the strait.

That latest round of fighting was triggered by Iran’s strikes on a Cyprus-flagged container ship, which suffered severe damage, according to CENTCOM.

Trump announced the reinstatement of the naval blockade on “Fox & Friends” Monday morning.

“We guarded the strait for 50 years, and we never got paid for it,” he said. “We guarded it for nothing.”

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard doubled down in response to Trump’s comments, according to The Associated Press.

“The Strait of Hormuz is our territory, and we will not allow a rogue and child-killing army from the other side of the world to continue its illegal interference in it,” it said.