President Trump announced on Monday that the United States is officially assuming the role of the "guardian" of the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement posted to Truth Social, the president declared that the U.S. will be known as "THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT" moving forward. He asserted that, as a matter of fairness, the U.S. will be reimbursed for the costs associated with providing safety and security to this volatile region. Specifically, he proposed a 20% reimbursement rate on all cargo shipped through the strait, noting that the formation and implementation of this process would begin immediately.
The president also announced the reinstatement of a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and vessels. He clarified that this measure is designed specifically to stop Iranian ships or their customers from entering or leaving the area. According to the president, all other nations will continue to have fair and open access to the strait, which he insisted would remain open "with or without Iran." Earlier on Monday, during an interview with Fox News, the president suggested the U.S. might be referred to as the "Guardian Angel of the Strait." He argued that the U.S. has guarded the waterway for over 50 years without receiving payment, while other nations profited. He stated that the U.S. can no longer be expected to provide this security for nothing, implying that wealthy Persian Gulf energy producers should be the ones to provide the reimbursement.
The announcement follows weeks of condemnation from Washington regarding suggestions from Tehran that it might charge commercial ships fees for passage. Tensions have escalated significantly in the region. Iran’s embassy in the U.K. issued a statement on Monday accusing the U.S. of violating a mid-June memorandum of understanding between the two nations "since day one." The embassy specifically criticized U.S. military efforts to direct vessels toward a southern parallel route near the coast of Oman, labeling the route as "not only legally questionable but also unsafe, unreliable, and prone to accidents."
The situation has been marked by recent violence, including Iranian attacks on several ships attempting to use that southern route last week. On Saturday, Iran also struck a container vessel near the western entrance of the strait, which prompted the U.S. to launch multiple rounds of airstrikes on Iranian targets. Following these developments, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) declared in a social media post later on Monday that passage through the Strait of Hormuz is currently "unfeasible" due to "recent hostile actions by the US forces." The PGSA stated that all applications will be reviewed once stability and calm are restored, while reminding vessels that, in Iran's view, the only valid way to obtain a passage permit is through its official website.
