Trump says US will act as "Guardian of Hormuz", proposes 20% cargo security fee

On July 13, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States would assume the role of "the Guardian of the Hormuz Strait" and seek reimbursement equal to 20% of all cargo shipped through the strategic waterway to cover the costs of providing security.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the Strait of Hormuz "is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran," adding that the United States was reinstating what he called the "Iranian blockade," which he described as targeting only Iranian ships and customers while allowing all other countries unrestricted access.

Trump said all other nations would continue to enjoy "fair and open use" of the strait, but argued that, "as a matter of FAIRNESS," the United States should be reimbursed at a rate of 20% on all cargo passing through the waterway to fund security operations in what he described as a "very volatile" region.

He added that "the process and formation will begin immediately," without providing further details on how the proposal would be implemented or enforced.

By Aghakazim Guliyev