Trump to charge 20% on cargo shipped through Hormuz; restarts Iranian blockade

US President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. is “going to get paid for guarding” the Strait of Hormuz, the major oil-shipping route and epicenter of the re-escalating war with Iran. Trump said US will be reimbursed “at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped” to cover the costs of providing security in the volatile maritime corridor. Meanwhile, the United States has officially reinstated its maritime blockade on Iran, with US Central Command (CENTCOM) announcing that American forces will resume enforcing restrictions on vessels entering and leaving Iranian ports from July 14 at 4 p.m. ET.

Trump declared that the United States would become the “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait,” announcing the reinstatement of what he called the “Iranian blockade” and saying Washington would charge 20 per cent on all cargo shipped through the strategic waterway as reimbursement for providing security.

The president stressed U.S. will begin charging the fee for the safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz beginning “immediately” Monday.

“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“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. The process and formation will begin immediately,” he added.

The announcement came hours after Trump made similar remarks during an interview with Fox & Friends, where he said the United States would “become the guardian of the Strait” and insisted Washington had been protecting the vital maritime corridor “for nothing.”

“We’re going to keep the strait, and we’ll probably run it,” Trump said in a Fox News interview, which came amid new exchanges of fire between U.S. and Iran that have put the prospect of a peace deal further out of reach.

“We’ll become the guardian of the strait – maybe we’ll call it the guardian angel of the strait,” Trump told Fox. “And we should be reimbursed for that.”

“We can’t be expected to do that for nothing, unlike we had for many years,” he added. “We guarded it for nothing, and now we’re going to guard it, we’re going to get paid for guarding it. A lot of money.”

The Iranian foreign ministry on Monday said the discussions in Oman had focused on arrangements for the administration of the Strait of Hormuz and its navigation routes, and accused the US of preventing an agreement from being reached.

“The Muscat talks were fundamentally focused on arrangements for the administration of the Strait of Hormuz and its navigation routes. Unfortunately, the United States, through both overt and covert pressure on Oman, prevented those negotiations from reaching a successful outcome,” the statement reads.

The latest dispute highlights deep divisions between Tehran and Washington over control and navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The recent US-Iran strikes have left the interim deal signed in June in jeopardy. Despite the 60-day framework intended to produce a permanent peace agreement and resolve disputes, negotiations remain stalled.

Fresh attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz have renewed fears of a broader regional conflict and further disruption to global energy supplies.

US forces have struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran, the CENTCOM said on Monday.

The targets were attacked on Sunday using multiple one-way attack surface drones, the US Central Command said in a post on X.

UN secretary-general António Guterres said he was “deeply concerned by the serious escalation,” urging an end to all attacks.

A statement issued by his spokesperson called on all combatants “to exercise maximum restraint, avoid further escalatory action and take immediate steps to de‑escalate.”

Guterres reiterated that a return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences “for the peoples of the region” and beyond, as well as the global economy.

Meanwhile, the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) stressed once again that passage through the Strait should remain “free of any tolls and charges,” in accordance with international law, including the IMO Convention.

U.S. Forces to Resume Naval Blockade Against Iran

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces will begin enforcing a naval blockade against vessels entering and exiting Iranian ports on July 14 at 4 p.m. ET.

According to the statement, CENTCOM forces will enforce the blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas.

“The U.S. military continues to support traffic flow through regional waters for all vessels not violating the blockade,” CENTCOM warned.

The resumption of the U.S. blockade against Iran follows the initial implementation from April 13 to June 18.

CENTCOM said its forces redirected more than 140 compliant vessels, disabled nine non-compliant ships, and allowed over 50 commercial vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass through the blockade during the two-month period.

All mariners are advised to monitor “Notice to Mariners” broadcasts and contact U.S. naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16 when operating in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz approaches.