Updated on July 13, 2026, at 2:43 pm EST
President Trump on Monday said that the US was “reinstating” the blockade of Iranian ports and would also charge a 20% fee for all cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, a declaration that came after US officials had repeatedly said it would be illegal for Iran to charge fees for ships passing through the waterway.
“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 Truth Social.
US Central Command later announced that its forces would begin the blockade on Tuesday, July 14, at 4 pm EST.
Trump continued in his post, “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.”
Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute, noted in a post on X that Trump’s proposed 20% fee is significantly higher than Iran’s reported plan, which would amount to about 1% to 2% of an oil tanker’s cargo.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also noted the difference in his response to Trump’s post, where he mocked the US president. “POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service,” he wrote on X. “Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair.”
Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesman for the Iranian military’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, also responded to Trump’s declaration that the US will take over the strait, saying that Iran “will under no circumstances allow the United States to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.”
Zolfaqari said that the US’s “repeated adventurism and mischief” in the Strait of Hormuz have and “seriously endangered regional security, international trade, and the passage of oil tankers and commercial vessels” and warned regional countries against cooperating with the US.
“Any cooperation with the United States and logistical support for that country’s aggressor army will be regarded as war against Iran’s sovereignty and national security,” he said. “If war expands in the region, the flames of fire will engulf all regional countries.”
Trump’s post came after the US launched another round of heavy airstrikes against Iran, killing at least four people, according to Iranian media reports, and more Iranian retaliation against US bases in the region is expected.
