In a Truth Social post today, President Donald Trump announced a drastic new plan reinstating the blockade of Iranian shipping, assuming seemingly unprecedented control over the Strait of Hormuz and introducing a fee for maintaining safe freedom of navigation on the international waterway – a process that he affirmed “will begin immediately.”
The announcement came on the heels of four consecutive waves of U.S. strikes against Iranian military targets after Tehran had resumed attacks on merchant shipping. The renewed attacks by both sides effectively ended the June Iran-US peace agreement that had briefly halted hostilities and partially reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.
“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran,” Mr. Trump wrote. “We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait.”
He continued: “The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as “THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, 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. The process and formation will begin immediately.”
Observers consider that Trump’s new initiative appeared to reject the efforts of the Tehran government to control access to the strait. Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) has commented that passage through the waterway was “currently unfeasible” due to recent U.S. military action and indicated it was suspending the processing of transit permit applications until stability returned.
(Photos by Dreamstime of Donald Trump and Strait of Hormuz)