Trump's Strait of Hormuz blockade erases last concession to Iran in preliminary deal

22 hours ago 4

President Donald Trump announced Monday he will reimpose a naval blockade on Iranian ports and levy new charges on commercial ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz -- a move that unravels the last threads of the preliminary peace deal with Iran while introducing a new and controversial strategy apparently aimed at recouping some costs incurred during the conflict.

"All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait," Trump said in a post on his social media platform, saying the U.S. would become "THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT," and that "as a matter of FAIRNESS" would be "reimbursed" 20% the cost of cargo shipped through the strategic waterway in exchange for providing safe passage.

"We guarded the strait for 50 years and never got paid for it," Trump said in an interview on Fox News on Monday. "We want to be reimbursed for this -- for putting our people in danger."

The return of the naval blockade erases the last remaining concession to Tehran provided under the memorandum of understanding that was signed by the president at the Palace of Versailles amid great fanfare just 26 days ago and comes as both countries appear to be on the edge of returning to full-fledged war following several exchanges of tit-for-tat strikes in recent days.

After diplomatic efforts over the weekend failed to cool rapidly escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, the reimposition of the naval blockade was largely expected, as officials and other sources familiar with internal discussions privately conceded that the deal -- the product of months of intensive negotiations--was in tatters.

Caught by surprise

However, the president's announcement on collecting fees from commercial vessels seemed to catch some members of his administration, foreign governments and international organizations by surprise.

The Trump administration has not yet shared any information on how or when it will seek to collect fees from cargo ships crossing the strait, but the statement from U.S. Central Command announcing that the blockade would resume at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday also noted "additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, one of Trump's closest advisers, has been vocally against imposing a toll on the waterway -- repeatedly saying it would constitute a clear violation of international law.

"There isn't a nation on earth that supports having to pay money to go through the straits," Rubio said during a visit to Bahrain in late June.

In the run-up to agreeing to the memorandum of understanding with Iran, officials say many of Trump's national security advisers were dubious about Tehran's willingness to adhere to its terms, but that the president was ultimately motivated by the desire to address the economic turmoil created by Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

When it became clear Iran would not relinquish control of the waterway, the Trump administration's resolve to keep the deal intact waned, officials familiar with its internal deliberations say.

Covering the cost of the war

The war itself has also come with a hefty price tag for the U.S. Estimates on the total cost vary, but in late June, the White House submitted a request for more than $67 billion in emergency defense funding to cover expenses associated with the conflict.

The president has publicly floated the idea of profiting from traffic in the Strait of Hormuz on several occasions, but he has also repeatedly stated it should be free from tolls.

Some U.S. officials have dismissed the president's inconsistent comments, suggesting they are part of his negotiating strategy with Iran. However, others say he has shown an intense interest in exploring unusual avenues for covering some of the war effort's costs since shortly after it began in late February.

That same month, Trump floated a different plan to profit from the conflict during an interview with the New York Times, saying that if efforts to reach a comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran failed, the U.S. could become "the guardian of the Middle East" in exchange for 20% of the region's revenues.

The president's plan to position the U.S. as "the guardian of the Hormuz Strait" was met with opposition on Monday.

A spokesperson for the International Maritime Agency (IMO), the United Nations agency responsible for regulating maritime shipping, said on Monday it was "aware" of Trump's post and "awaiting more details," but that "there is no legal basis through which to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait."

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives for a bilateral meeting with Switzerland's counterpart overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, June 21, 2026, ahead of high-level talks aimed at advancing a deal to end the Middle East conflict.

"We have always been consistent on our stance on fees -- IMO stands firmly against charging fees for passage through straits used for international navigation," the spokesperson said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to Trump's announcement by saying Iran would charge a more reasonable rate.

"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," Araghchi said in a post on social medial.

"20% is of course too much. We will be fair," he said.

Read Entire Article