Trump vows US control of Strait of Hormuz, 20% cargo toll, as Iran warns of 'greater incidents'

Trump's toll declaration

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the United States would assume control of the Strait of Hormuz and charge a 20 percent fee on all cargo transiting the waterway. Speaking on Fox News's 'Fox & Friends,' Trump said the United States would become 'the guardian of the strait' and 'should be reimbursed' for providing security. In a later post on Truth Social, he formalized the figure: the US 'will be reimbursed at the rate of 20 percent on all cargo shipped, for all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World.'

We're going to guard it. We're going to get paid for guarding it, a lot of money.

Trump justified the toll by pointing to wealthy allied nations that benefit from the strait's traffic. 'We're going to be reimbursed, because the other nations are very wealthy. They're on our side, and we can't be expected to do that for nothing,' he told Fox News. He added that 'the process and implementation' of the compensation 'will begin immediately.'

Aides and allies contradicted

Trump's declaration contradicts weeks of public statements by his own senior officials. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as White House national security adviser, told a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in late June that 'no country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That's existing international law.' Vice President JD Vance took the same position on June 18, saying 'we believe international waterways should be free of tolls.' Following the GCC meeting, the United States signed a joint statement with Gulf Arab states that 'rejected any tolls, fees or attempts to assert control over the strait.'

No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That's existing international law. That's the way it is in international waterways all over the world, and that's the way we expect it'll be here.

Security expert Frank Umbach, cited by German broadcaster N-tv, said any such maritime toll would be 'not compatible with international maritime law.' The International Maritime Organization also signalled its opposition to any kind of charge, according to Deutsche Welle.

Ceasefire unravelling

Trump's latest move follows a weekend of heavy missile and drone exchanges between US and Iranian forces. Iran said it had struck US military facilities across the Gulf and kept the strait closed. The hostilities mark the third consecutive weekend of fire since a shaky ceasefire took effect in June, casting doubt on the interim US-Iranian agreement signed last month to reopen the waterway and halt hostilities for 60 days of further negotiations. The agreement recognised Iran's power in the strait and stated no country would collect tolls during the 60-day period.

We had a deal. It was a done deal, and then they broke it. They always break it. We've had 10 deals with these people, and so we're just going to hit them very hard.

Trump said he was reinstating 'the Iranian blockade, so named because it is only stopping Iran's ships or customers from entering or leaving.' The US previously maintained a naval blockade on Iranian ports, which was lifted under the ceasefire accord.

Shipping traffic collapses

Before the war, roughly 20 percent of the world's hydrocarbons transited the Strait of Hormuz, along with all goods imported into the Gulf, Le Monde reported. Tehran closed the waterway on Saturday following what it called an unauthorized transit, and said on Sunday that passage remained suspended until 'stability and calm' were restored. According to De Morgen, the number of visible ship passages using the southern route along Oman's coast, the route supported by the US, has stood at zero since Wednesday. A handful of ships had been using the northern route designated by Iran until Saturday.

Iran's response

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a Monday statement that the only way to restore regular shipping traffic was to end US military interventions in the waterway, warning that 'continued interference could lead to greater incidents in the global oil and gas sector.' Spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari of the Khatam al-Anbiya Unified Command said Iran would 'react with severity' to any 'disruption and insecurity' caused by American units. Iran also derided Trump's 20 percent toll proposal, with one official saying the US president was 'completely right' in a sarcastic response reported by De Morgen.

The repeated adventurism and misdeeds of the United States in the management of the strait have endangered regional security, international trade, and the passage of oil tankers and merchant vessels.