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Blockade and 20% Charge
President Donald Trump said the United States would reinstate a naval blockade of Iranian ports and impose a 20% charge on cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz after days of escalating strikes between the two countries.
“will impose a 20% charge on all cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz”
Trump said the blockade would be in effect from 16:00 Eastern Time (20:00 GMT) on Tuesday, and the US military later said it began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran at 16:45 Eastern Time (20:45 GMT) on Monday at the Commander in Chief's direction.
In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump insisted the strait "will remain OPEN, with or without Iran" and wrote that the U.S. would be "THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT," reimbursed at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped for costs necessary to provide safety and security.
The BBC reported that Iran's foreign minister responded by saying Tehran would remain the strait's "GUARDIAN" using Trump's word, while Centcom said the strikes would continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Pushback, IMO Opposition
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi mocked Trump's vow to impose hefty charges, writing on X that "20% is of course too much. We will be fair," while adding that Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so forever.
The BBC also reported that the International Maritime Organization spokesperson said "IMO stands firmly against charging fees for passage through straits used for international navigation" and that there is no legal basis to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait.
In parallel, the Guardian reported that the IMO Council reaffirmed its commitment to protecting vital shipping lanes and called for de-escalation, quoting the council that "The right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation should not be threatened, impeded, denied, hampered, impaired or suspended."
The Guardian further described Centcom's statement that at 4.45pm ET it had begun a third consecutive night of strikes at Donald Trump's direction, and it quoted Centcom saying the strikes would continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
What Comes Next for Shipping
The BBC said Centcom later announced that its forces "will resume blockading maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports" on 14 July, while also stating that the US military continues to support traffic flow through regional waters for vessels not violating the blockade.
“will resume blockading maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports”
In the same reporting, the BBC noted that federal law requires congressional approval to continue military actions for more than 60 days and that the White House can extend the deadline for another 30 days citing national security.
The Guardian described Trump saying the US plans to carry out further strikes against Iran, with the memorandum of understanding in a shambles after fighting reignited between the two sides last week, and it quoted Trump saying, "We’re going to hit them very hard tonight, and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow."
Al Jazeera framed the escalation as threatening to derail efforts toward a more lasting peace, reporting that Trump said the US would restart its naval blockade and collect a fee equal to 20 percent for ensuring safe passage of merchant ships, while also quoting the UN shipping agency opposing any imposition of fees to cross the strait.
