Trump declares US will control Strait of Hormuz as Iran crisis escalates “We’ll become the guardian of the strait”

President Donald Trump stated on July 13 that the United States would likely take control of the Strait of Hormuz and should be compensated for overseeing the strategic waterway.

"We're going to keep the strait, and we'll probably run it. We'll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we'll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And we should be reimbursed for that," Reuters quoted Trump as saying during a phone interview with Fox News' "Fox & Friends."

"We're going to guard it. We're going to get paid for guarding it - a lot of money," the US president noted, adding, "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."

After announcing the closure of the waterway on Saturday, July 11, following what it described as an unauthorised transit, Tehran said on Sunday, July 12, that passage through the strait remained suspended, and that permits would be issued once "stability and calm" were restored.

"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.

In a separate exclusive interview with NBC News' "Meet the Press" on July 12, Trump commented on the situation surrounding Iran, saying that a meeting had taken place at the last moment and that everything had initially been agreed upon before the Iranian side left the room and later called back requesting several changes.

“Agreed to a deal yesterday. A perfect deal for us. No nuclear, no this, no that, no nothing. They gave up everything, and then after that, they left the room, and within an hour, they launched a drone at a ship,” Trump stressed.

The US leader also rejected the proposed changes, saying that he would not make any adjustments and offering no further details.

By Jeyhun Aghazada