U.S. President Donald Trump said he would reinstate a maritime blockade on Iranian ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. He also floated a plan for the United States to take 20% of all cargo in return for guaranteeing the strait's security.
Trump said on the 13th (local time) on his social media, Truth Social, "The Strait of Hormuz is open, with or without Iran," adding, "We are reinstating the Iran blockade."
This signals that he will reimpose the maritime blockade on Iran that was lifted after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end hostilities with Iran on the 13th of last month, and is seen as an intention to again squeeze Iran's maritime logistics and financial lifelines.
Trump went on to say it would be "a measure that prevents only Iranian ships or ships of Iranian clients from entering and exiting the Strait of Hormuz," adding, "All other countries will be able to use the strait fairly and freely."
He also said the United States would collect tolls from civilian vessels of other countries transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
He said, "From now on, the United States will be called 'THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,' and we will be compensated with 20% of all cargo shipped for every expense required to provide safety and security in this most unstable region of the world."
He added, "The relevant procedures and setup will begin immediately."
This is interpreted as a plan to effectively impose an expense in the nature of a "toll" in return for U.S. forces guaranteeing the safety of civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier the same day, in a phone interview with Fox News, Trump also mentioned the possibility that the United States would directly manage the Strait of Hormuz, saying, "We have protected the strait for free until now, but from now on we will protect it and receive a huge amount of money in return."