President Donald Trump says the United States will restore a naval blockade on Iranian ports and seek a 20% payment on cargo moving through the Strait of Hormuz, after a new round of strikes between Washington and Tehran. Get today's headlines by email Trump said the measures would prevent Iranian vessels and their customers from using the major energy shipping route, while leaving it available to other countries. He said the blockade would take effect at 16:00 Eastern Time (20:00 GMT) on Tuesday. Blockade to resumeIn a post on Truth Social, Trump said the strait would remain open “with or without Iran” and described the US as the “guardian” of the waterway. He said reimbursement would be sought for the cost of providing security, and that arrangements would begin immediately. He earlier told Fox News that the US would “probably run” the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran had broken a deal with Washington. Strikes deepen confrontationThe announcement followed military exchanges overnight and on Monday. The US said it hit Iranian military targets, including air defence systems, coastal radar installations and missile and drone facilities. Iran said its response included attacks on US military bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, as well as radar sites in Oman. US Central Command later said American forces would again block maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports on 14 July. It said the US military would continue to support the movement of vessels in regional waters if they were not breaching the blockade. Iran rejects US roleIranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded on X by saying those securing safe passage for commercial ships through the strait should be compensated, but said Iran had always served as its guardian and would continue to do so. He added that 20% was too high and that Iran would be “fair”. A spokesperson for the International Maritime Organization, the UN body overseeing global shipping, was quoted by Reuters as opposing charges for passage through straits used for international navigation. The spokesperson said there was no legal basis for imposing mandatory transit tolls on such routes. Before Trump’s statement, Iran’s top military headquarters said it would not accept US involvement in managing the strait. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Khatam al-Anbiya, said in remarks carried by Iranian media that US actions had put regional security, trade and the movement of tankers and merchant ships at risk. He warned that cooperation with Washington would be treated as an act of war against Iranian sovereignty. Legal and political questionsHow the US plan would operate remains uncertain. Under UN rules, states may control territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles from their coast. At its narrowest point, the Strait of Hormuz and its shipping lanes fall within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. The strait had previously carried about 25% of the world’s oil and 20% of global liquefied natural gas. Iran effectively closed it after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February. Tehran then fired missiles and drones at Israel and US bases in several Gulf countries, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps fired on commercial vessels trying to pass without approval and seized two ships. Traffic fell sharply and oil prices rose. Washington first imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in April. By late May, the US military said it had redirected 100 commercial ships and disabled four. The blockade was lifted in June under a memorandum of understanding intended to end the conflict, but Trump told Congress last Friday that US military action in Iran had resumed on 7 July after renewed disputes over the strait. The 20% charge may face resistance from US allies and criticism from opponents who note the strait was open before the conflict. The move could also create domestic pressure as oil prices rise ahead of midterm elections, in which Republicans other than Trump will face voters. Some lawmakers, including Republicans, had questioned what Washington gained from the ceasefire, its extension and further negotiations. The announcement could also be aimed at reviving talks and pressing other countries to engage, an approach Trump has used before. Join the discussion? 14 July 2026
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