US will take ‘control’ of Hormuz, charge 20% from ships: Trump; Iran slams him
New Delhi, July 13: As the war raged in West Asia, US President Donald Trump today said his country would assume control of the Strait of Hormuz and charge 20% of money for allowing movement of commercial ships across the maritime corridor critical for global energy flows.
Trump described the US as the future “guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz and said his country would continue to safeguard the strategically important wateray.
“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,” he said.
“We’re going to guard it. We’re going to get paid for guarding it – a lot of money,” he said.
Trump said the United States would assume the role of “The Guardian of the Hormuz Strait” and that the waterway would remain open “with or without Iran”.
He said the US should be reimbursed through a 20% charge on all cargo shipped through the passage.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, he said the US would guarantee free navigation for all countries except Iran, while reinstating what he called “The Iranian Blockade.”
“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran,” Trump wrote.
“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,” he wrote.
According to Trump, work on implementing the proposal would begin immediately.
“The process and formation will begin immediately,” he added.
The US President argued that America’s allies, many of whom rely heavily on energy shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz, should shoulder the financial burden of maintaining security in the region.
“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,” Trump said.
The Strait of Hormuz accounts for a huge proportion of global energy movement and any disruption to traffic through the narrow waterway has immediate repercussions for international energy markets.
Trump announces ‘Iranian Blockade’
Trump said the United States is going to restore “The Iranian Blockade” as a measure that would apply only to Iranian ships and customers.
“We are reinstating the 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 wrote.
Strait closure fuels global oil concerns
Trump’s remarks come as the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as the central flashpoint in the escalating US-Iran conflict.
Iran’s effective blockade of the narrow shipping route has disrupted maritime traffic, sent global oil prices sharply higher and renewed fears of inflation driven by energy costs.
Iran warns US against ‘interfering’ in Strait of Hormuz
Responding to Trump’s statement, Iran’s military warned that it would not allow the United States to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.
In a video message, the spokesman for Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said Tehran would not permit any US involvement in overseeing transit through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes.
“Under no circumstances will [we] allow… the United States to interfere in the management” of the Strait of Hormuz, the spokesman said.
Tehran announced the closure of the strait on Saturday after what it called an “unauthorized transit.”
Iranian authorities said on Sunday that the waterway would remain closed, adding that shipping permits would only be issued once “stability and calm” had been restored. (BVI)
