President Trump on Tuesday backtracked on his demand for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to pay the US a 20% fee, saying instead that he wants “trade and investment deals” from the Gulf Arab states.
“Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
“Those Investments will be MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” he added.
Iran responded to Trump’s call for the US to be the “guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz and receive a 20% fee by mocking him and pointing out that Iran’s plan would require a much smaller payment. “Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araghchi.
In his post on Tuesday, Trump insisted that the Strait of Hormuz was “open” despite Iran’s continued attacks on ships attempting to cross the waterway. Iran’s IRGC took credit for the Monday attack on two tankers, which killed at least one Indian mariner, saying the ships were “misled by the US” and ignored repeated Iranian warnings.
Trump also repeated that the US would reimpose the blockade of Iranian ports, which US Central Command said would begin on Tuesday at 4 pm EST. “We will therefore have a FULL Blockade, but only on Ships coming to and from Iranian ports, or carrying anything have to do with Iranian cargo,” he said.
