Trump Announces US as ‘Guardian of Strait of Hormuz’, Proposes $30 Million Cargo Fee; here is a comparison with Tehran | Today’s news

As tensions between the United States and Iran escalate, US President Donald Trump said on Monday (local time) that Washington was likely to take control of the Strait of Hormuz, describing the country as the “future guardian” of the key waterway.

He made the remarks during an interview with Fox News, saying the US would take on the role of “Guardian of the Strait of Hormuz” and reiterating that the vital maritime chokepoint would remain open “with or without Iran.”

Trump went on to say, “We’re going to keep the strait and probably operate it. We’re going to be the guardian of the strait. Maybe we’ll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And we should be compensated for that.”

Here’s a comparison of Trump’s proposed tariff to Iran’s proposed tariffs

He proposed a 20 percent refund for cargo transported through the Strait of Hormuz, a move that would cost nearly $30 million for a fully loaded supertanker of oil, Bloomberg reported. The US president’s latest demand is based on current oil prices of around $80 per barrel. Supertankers can hold roughly two million barrels of oil.

In comparison, Iran charged $2 million for an ad hoc trip. In response to Trump’s latest proposal, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X: “POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides safe and secure passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for that service,” adding: “Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER.”

“Of course 20% is too much. We will be fair,” argued Araghchi. According to Press TV, Trump’s latest demands are seen as nothing more than economic blackmail by Iranian officials, who call them an illegal attempt to undermine Tehran’s sovereign rights.

In early April, the media reported that Tehran would charge $2 million to allow safe passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The New York Times, citing two Iranian officials, reported in April that Tehran plans to charge a fee of roughly ₹18.5 million dollars ($2 million) per ship to be split between Iran and Oman, which lies on the opposite side of the strait.

After Tehran’s announcement in April, Trump said Washington might also consider imposing tolls in the strait, pointing to the Islamic Republic’s efforts to charge vessels, a move that several US officials previously called illegal.

The shipping industry reacts skeptically

Bloomberg reported that the proposal was met with skepticism across the shipping industry. About a dozen people involved in the maritime trade, including operators whose tankers recently passed through the Strait of Hormuz, said they had received no prior information about Trump’s proposed waterway cargo fee. They added that given the few details available, it was too early to judge how the measure might affect transit decisions. One tanker captain likened the proposed fee to highway robbery.

The US-Iran truce is falling apart

Both Washington and Tehran are now eyeing control of the Strait of Hormuz, an arterial waterway that was once responsible for a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies. The battle for control of the maritime choke point further intensified after a fragile truce fell apart when the US launched strikes on Iranian sites last week after it said it was responding to attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on commercial vessels passing through Hormuz. Since then, Tehran has responded by attacking Washington’s allies in the region and closing the Strait of Hormuz “until further notice”.