Brazilian president brands Trump's Hormuz toll plan "piracy"

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized US President Donald Trump's proposal to charge commercial vessels a 20% fee for transiting the Strait of Hormuz, calling the plan "piracy."

Speaking to reporters, Lula said charging ships to pass through one of the world's busiest international waterways would violate long-established principles governing global maritime trade, Anadolu Agency reports.

"Back in the day, that used to be called piracy," Lula said, according to Brazilian media.

His comments came hours after Trump announced that the US would reinstate a blockade on Iran and assume responsibility for securing the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the US would become the "guardian" of the Strait of Hormuz and charge commercial vessels a 20% fee for providing security.

"As such, and as a matter of fairness, (the United States) 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," Trump wrote.

He added that implementation of the policy would begin immediately.

The proposal follows renewed military escalation between the US and Iran, with both sides exchanging strikes and making competing claims over responsibility for security in the strategically important waterway.

The Strait of Hormuz connects the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and carries about one-fifth of global oil consumption, making it one of the world's most important maritime trade routes.

International maritime law generally guarantees the right of transit passage through international straits, while legal experts have questioned whether any country can unilaterally impose charges on vessels exercising that right.

Lula did not elaborate on whether Brazil would pursue diplomatic action but said international waterways should remain open to global commerce under established international rules.

By Vafa Guliyeva