President Donald Trump announced Monday that the United States is reinstating a naval blockade of Iran and will begin charging a 20% toll on all cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The move, set to take effect Tuesday, marks a major escalation in the ongoing conflict and defies international maritime norms.
The Strategic Shift in the Strait of Hormuz
In a series of posts on Truth Social and comments to the media on Monday, President Trump declared the United States the GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT
and announced that the U.S. Navy would resume its blockade of Iranian ports. The President framed the decision as a matter of fairness, asserting that the U.S. must 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
in the region.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints. Prior to the conflict that began in late February, the waterway facilitated the transit of 20% of the world’s oil and gas exports. While the U.S. has insisted the strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran,
as CNBC reported, the announcement has triggered immediate volatility in energy markets. Brent crude oil prices rose 7.8% to $81.92 a barrel on Monday, though this remains significantly lower than the nearly $120 levels seen earlier in the war.
International Maritime Organization and Legal Objections
The proposal to levy a 20% tariff on commercial vessels has met with immediate pushback from international regulators. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) stated clearly that it stands firmly against charging fees for passage through straits used for international navigation.
The agency emphasized that there is no legal basis through which to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait.
This position is shared by members of the current administration. As AP News reported, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke out against such tolls as recently as June 25, telling reporters in Bahrain that no country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway.
Rubio had previously maintained that there was zero support among the Gulf countries
for any system that charges for the use of international waters.
Tehran’s Response and the Collapse of Negotiations
The U.S. announcement effectively scuttles an interim peace deal reached last month, which had seen both nations agree to lift blockades and reopen the strait. Iranian officials have reacted with defiance. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took to social media to mock the U.S. position, suggesting that if anyone is to be compensated for providing security, it should be Iran.
“POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service. Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair.”
Abbas Araghchi, Iranian Foreign Minister, via AP News
The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran’s joint military command, warned that any attempt by the U.S. to manage the strait would be met with force. The command stated that any regional cooperation with the U.S. military would be regarded as an act of war against Iran’s sovereignty and national security.
Expert Skepticism Regarding Practical Enforcement
While the White House has not clarified how it plans to collect the fees, the U.S. military has confirmed it is moving forward with the blockade. The situation remains fluid, with both Washington and Tehran engaged in a cycle of military strikes that have already slowed shipping traffic to a trickle, keeping global energy markets in a state of high uncertainty.
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