President Trump announced on Monday that the United States is officially assuming the role of the guardian of the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement posted to Truth Social, the president declared that the U.S. would provide safety and security to this volatile section of the world, with the formation of this new oversight process beginning immediately. To cover the costs of these operations, Trump stated that the U.S. will seek reimbursement at a rate of 20% on all cargo shipped through the strait, framing the move as a matter of fairness.
The president had previously told Fox News earlier on Monday that the U.S. might refer to its new position as the 'Guardian Angel of the Strait.' He argued that the U.S. has guarded the passage for over 50 years, and during that time, it never received payment while other nations made all the money. He asserted that it is only fair for wealthy Persian Gulf energy producers to contribute to the cost of security, noting that the U.S. can no longer be expected to perform these duties for nothing. While he did not name specific countries he expected to pay, he implied that the wealthy energy producers in the region should be the ones to provide the funds.
Alongside this security initiative, the president announced the immediate reinstatement of a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and vessels. He clarified that this measure is specifically designed to stop Iran's ships or customers from entering or leaving the area. He emphasized that all other countries will continue to have fair and open use of the strait, adding that the passage will remain open with or without Iran.
Tensions in the region have escalated significantly. Iran has argued that a vaguely worded memorandum of understanding signed by the U.S. and Iran in mid-June granted it the right to control shipping through the strait. Tehran has specifically balked at U.S. government and military calls for ships to utilize a southern route close to Oman, which President Trump has insisted remains open. The Iranian embassy in the U.K. issued a statement on Monday accusing the U.S. of having done nothing but violate that agreement since day one, specifically by pushing vessels toward a dangerous southern parallel route. The embassy described this route as not only legally questionable but also unsafe, unreliable, and prone to accidents.
The situation has been marked by recent violence, as Iran attacked several ships attempting to use that southern route last week. On Saturday, Iran also struck a container vessel near the western entrance to the strait, which prompted the U.S. to launch multiple rounds of airstrikes on Iranian targets. Later on Monday, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority declared in a social media post that passage through the Strait of Hormuz is currently unfeasible due to recent hostile actions by U.S. forces. The authority stated that once stability and calm are restored, all applications will be reviewed in accordance with a scheduled timeline, while reminding vessels that in Iran's view, the sole means of obtaining a passage permit is through its website. Mr. Trump's announcement followed weeks of condemnation from Washington regarding suggestions from Tehran that it would charge commercial ships fees for passage in the future.
"We guarded it for nothing, and now we're going to guard it," he said. "We're going to get paid for guarding it, a lot of money."
