President Donald Trump announced Monday that the United States will immediately begin charging a 20% fee on cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz, saying the revenue will compensate the U.S. for securing one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared that the United States is now the “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait” and said the waterway “will remain OPEN, with or without Iran.”

Trump also announced the reinstatement of a U.S. blockade targeting Iranian shipping.

“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,” Trump wrote.

He added: “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.”

The announcement came as the ceasefire between the United States and Iran continued to unravel, with tensions escalating once again in the strategic waterway.

Shortly after Trump’s announcement, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) issued a statement saying passage through the Strait of Hormuz “should remain free of any tolls and charges, in accordance with international law.”

The IMO reaffirmed that the right of transit through international straits “should not be threatened, impeded, denied, hampered, impaired or suspended,” while condemning attacks on civilian commercial vessels and calling for de-escalation in the region.

The organization also said that any measures regulating traffic through vital shipping lanes should comply with IMO regulations under the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)