"20% Too Much, We Will Be Fair": Iran On Trump's Hormuz Fee Demand

Iran has hit back at US President Donald Trump's plan to charge 20 per cent on all cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz, with its foreign minister arguing that Iran, not the US, has always been the true guardian of the waterway.

Writing on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, "POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service. Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER."

He then took aim at the size of Trump's proposed fee, adding, "20 per cent is of course too much. We will be fair."

Araghchi's comments followed a post by Trump on his Truth Social platform, in which he laid out his plan for the strait. "The USA 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 per cent 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," he wrote.

Read: Trump's Iran War Closed Hormuz Strait. Now He Wants 'Fee' For Guarding It

Trump also said the strait remains open while describing the US move as reinstating a blockade aimed specifically at Iran. The US Army announced that it will "resume blockading maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on July 14 at 4 pm ET."

"US forces will enforce the blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas," CENTCOM, the official account of US Central Command, posted on X.

"All mariners are advised to monitor Notice to Mariners broadcasts and contact US naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16 when operating in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz approaches," it added.

Earlier, the blockade was in place from April 13 to June 18 and was lifted after an interim deal was reached between Washington and Tehran.

The exchange between Araghchi and Trump came as the US and Iran traded fresh strikes for a second consecutive day, with each country continuing to assert its own control over the strait.

Iran's position rests on an interim peace deal struck last month, which it says gives it the right to control traffic through the strait, and even charge a toll. Meanwhile, the US argues that international law guarantees freedom of navigation regardless of what the deal says.

Last week, Trump said the interim deal was "over" even as talks continued behind the scenes.

Few waterways carry as much weight as the Strait of Hormuz. Around a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes through it, making it one of the most closely watched chokepoints on the planet. Iran's blockade there began after US and Israeli strikes hit Tehran on 28 February, killing the then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggering the wider conflict now playing out across the Middle East.