President Donald Trump announced Monday that the United States is reinstating a naval blockade around the Strait of Hormuz, declaring that the vital shipping channel will remain open to international traffic while Iranian vessels are barred from passage.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the strait "is open, and will remain open, with or without Iran." He said the US is "reinstating the Iranian blockade," explaining the policy is named as such because it applies only to Iranian ships and their clients, while other nations will retain fair and open use of the waterway.
Trump added that the US would now be known as "Guardians of the Strait," and that, out of fairness, Washington would collect a 20 percent fee on the value of cargo carried by other vessels passing through, to offset the costs of securing the region. He said the arrangement would take effect immediately.
A U.S. Central Command spokesperson told The New York Times that CENTCOM is finalizing coordination and will impose the blockade later today.
