President Donald Trump said the United States would reinstate a naval blockade against Iran and “become the guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz, as tensions with Iran continue to threaten to derail efforts toward a more lasting peace.
President Trump made the comments in an interview with Fox News and a post on Truth social on Monday, shortly after the United States and Iran exchanged the latest attacks. Iran announced another attack on US military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan, with US forces primarily targeting port cities on Iran’s coast.
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“We are reinstating the Iran blockade, so named because it only blocks Iranian ships and customers from entering and exiting the country,” Trump said on Truth Social.
“Since the United States will now be known as the ‘Guardian of the Strait of Hormuz,’ and as a matter of fairness, any costs necessary to carry out the work of providing safety and security to this highly volatile region of the world will be reimbursed at 20% of all cargo transported,” he added.
“The process and formation will begin immediately,” he said.
The United Nations maritime agency said in a statement that it opposes the imposition of any tolls on strait crossings.
The International Maritime Organization said: “We have always been consistent about our stance on tolls, and IMO firmly opposes charging for passage through straits used for international navigation.”
“There is no legal basis for introducing compulsory tolls just for crossing the strait.”
Trump’s own Secretary of State Marco Rubio in June rejected the idea of countries imposing tolls on international waterways.
“No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on international waterways. That is current international law,” Rubio said at the time, referring to the possibility of Iran imposing tolls.
Negotiations at risk
President Trump had previously threatened to maintain U.S. influence over the strait, through which 20% of global oil and gas exports typically pass, and potentially impose tolls if ceasefire talks break down.
A recent spate of attacks threatens to derail those negotiations. It began after the two countries signed an initial memorandum of understanding (MoU) last month agreeing to cease fighting, lift the US naval blockade and open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.
The U.S. reinstatement of the naval blockade represents another important provision of the original agreement.
More intractable issues, such as the future of Iran’s nuclear program, access to frozen assets, and future control of the strait, were scheduled to be negotiated over 60 days after the first memorandum of understanding was signed.
Iran has repeatedly rejected the prospect of the United States taking control of the strait. On Monday, Iranian Joint Forces Command’s Central Command spokesman Khatam al-Anbiya warned the United States and its allies against proceeding with such plans.
“As we have previously warned, under no circumstances will we allow the United States to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz,” the spokesperson said.
“The Iranian Armed Forces will respond strongly to any interference with the navigation of commercial ships and oil tankers by the U.S. military that invades outside Iran’s designated shipping lanes without permission from the Iranian Armed Forces.
“We warn regional leaders that cooperation with the United States or providing logistical support to invading forces will be considered an act of war against Iran’s sovereignty and national security,” the command said in a statement.
Although fighting continues, both sides have indicated no intention of returning to full-scale war. The United States and Israel began war against Iran on February 28, but the fighting has largely ceased since April, when a preliminary agreement was reached.
The current fighting is largely rooted in disagreements over the wording of a memorandum of understanding signed in June.
Some Iranian officials argue that the deal allows Iran to continue to assert control of navigation in the strait, even though Iran has promised to ensure the security of the channel.
Iranian authorities therefore say they are justified in attacking ships that do not comply, and Iranian forces have repeatedly targeted ships using the southern side of the strait, close to the Omani coast.
The Trump administration has insisted the deal should keep the strait open to all traffic for at least 60 days of negotiations and warned that any attack by Iran would be a violation of the memorandum of understanding.
Maritime security analyst Dimitris Maniatis said in an interview with Al Jazeera that there has been a “significant reduction” in the number of commercial ships passing through the strait since the recent attacks.
This followed a “significant increase” in traffic when the memorandum of understanding was signed in June.
