'We are the guardians now': Trump reinstates Iranian naval blockade and announces toll for ships in Hormuz Strait
The US will reinstate its blockade on Iranian ports, Donald Trump has said, as he declared the US the "Guardian of the Hormuz Strait.
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The US president took to Truth Social to declare the US in charge of the vital waterway and said a rate of 20% will be imposed on all cargo that is shipped through it.
He wrote: "The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. 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.
"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."
Trump has given no additional detail on how the US hopes to implement the charge for ships crossing the strait.
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Read more: US claims Strait of Hormuz is 'open' despite launching new strikes against Iran
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has insisted the strait is "our territory" and said it would not allow the US "continue its illegal interference in it".
It comes after the US and Iran traded a fresh round of strikes on Sunday morning after Tehran struck a container ship in the Strait.
The flare-up in tensions came after Tehran fired a warning shot that struck a vessel traveling on an unapproved route, before closing the key shipping strait altogether, having warned that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a "severe response."
The US claimed the IRGC had 'blatantly attacked' a Cyprus-flagged container ship in the Strait of Hormuz - with one civilian crew member missing after the ship was abandoned.
“A vessel that had jeopardised maritime security by switching off its systems was struck and brought to a halt,” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy said in a statement, without giving any detail of the ship.
It added that the strait was closed "until further notice" and until "the end of US interference in this region."
The US previously imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the strait, announcing in April that US forces would intercept or turn back ships travelling to or from the country's coast.
But the two countries agreed to lift the blockade and reopen the Strait of Hormuz following a ceasefire deal agreed on June 17.
Ending Tehran’s stranglehold on the sea route, which disrupted global oil and gas supplies and drove up fuel and food prices, had been a key demand in previous negotiations.
However, the initial deal only provides for safe, toll-free passage of the waterway for 60 days, pending the outcome of a final agreement on Tehran’s disputed nuclear plans.
The pact also leaves it to Iran and Oman, in conjunction with other Gulf states, to “define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz”.
In the meantime, Iran has continued to try to exert leverage over the channel, including demanding ships seek permission to transit and raising the spectre of future charges.