U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran had broken a previously undisclosed “done deal” with Washington, then announced that the United States would become the “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait” and seek a 20% payment on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
“We had a deal. What nobody knows, we had a deal. It was a done deal. And then they broke it,” Trump told Fox News. “They always break it. We’ve had 10 deals with these people.”
Donald Trump with Fox News
(Video: FOX NEWS)
In a subsequent post on Truth Social, Trump declared that the Strait of Hormuz was open and would remain so “with or without Iran.”
“The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’” he wrote.
Trump said the United States was reinstating what he called “the Iranian blockade,” which he described as restrictions applying only to Iranian vessels and Iran’s customers. “All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait,” he wrote.
Trump also said the United States would demand reimbursement “at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped” to cover the costs of providing security in the volatile maritime corridor.
“The process and formation will begin immediately,” he added, without providing further details about the legal authority, collection mechanism or countries and vessels that would be subject to the proposed charge.
‘We’re going to hit them very hard’
Trump’s announcement followed another round of U.S. strikes against Iran and continued Iranian missile and drone attacks in the Persian Gulf.
“We hit them very hard last night,” Trump told Fox News. “Every time they send a drone, we hit them very hard.”
Trump said Washington would continue its military campaign following the collapse of the agreement.
“We’re just going to hit them very hard,” he said.
The president’s comments indicated that diplomatic contacts had continued behind the scenes despite the escalating military confrontation.
According to details presented in the interview, the sides held talks lasting 11 hours on Sunday, although it remained unclear whether the meeting was conducted directly or through intermediaries.
Mojtaba Khamenei, Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz
(Photo: Stringer/Reuters, Anna Moneymaker / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
Trump said the parties had agreed on the outstanding issues before the Iranian side left and later requested changes.
“We agreed to everything, and then they walked out of the room and called back,” he said. “They always make changes. They’re not even good negotiators. They got nothing, and they got nothing from me.”
The negotiations were reportedly intended to revive a memorandum of understanding reached about a month earlier.
‘Guardian angel’ of the strait
Before publishing the Truth Social announcement, Trump told Fox News that the United States would retain control of the Strait of Hormuz and could take responsibility for operating it.
“We’re going to keep the strait, and we’ll probably run it,” he said. “We’ll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we’ll call it the guardian angel of the strait.”
He argued that other countries benefiting from freedom of navigation should reimburse Washington for protecting the passage.
“The other nations are very wealthy. They’re on our side, and we can’t be expected to do that for nothing,” Trump said.
He claimed that the United States had protected the waterway for decades without being compensated.
“We guarded the strait for 50 years or more, and we never got paid for it,” he said. “They made all the money.”
“Now we’re going to guard it, and we’re going to get paid for guarding it,” Trump added. “We just want to be reimbursed for doing all of this, for putting our people in danger. But we’re really not putting people, we’re really saving people.”
His later Truth Social post went further by specifying a proposed 20% charge on cargo and announcing a blockade directed at Iranian shipping.
Iran threatens regional escalation
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the joint command center of the country’s armed forces, meanwhile, warned that continued U.S. attacks could expand the war across the Middle East.
“If the attacks continue, the flames of war will engulf all the countries of the region,” the command said.
Iran said it would not allow the United States to intervene in the Strait of Hormuz and threatened a forceful response to commercial ships and oil tankers traveling outside routes approved by Tehran.
It also warned regional governments that cooperation with Washington or logistical assistance to the U.S. military would be considered an act of war against Iran’s sovereignty and national security.
“The responsibility for the spread of the war in the region lies with the United States and the countries cooperating with its military,” the statement said.
Fourth wave of US strikes
The U.S. military announced at about 6 a.m. that it had completed its latest wave of attacks against Iran, the fourth such operation in less than a week.
U.S. Central Command said Trump ordered strikes on targets across Iran in response to efforts to restrict freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said dozens of targets were struck with precision weapons to degrade Iran’s ability to attack maritime traffic. The targets included air-defense systems, coastal radar installations, missile and drone sites and small boats.
“The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global trade,” CENTCOM said. “Iran does not control it.”
Explosions were reported overnight in Bandar Abbas, the major Iranian port near the strait, as well as in the southern provinces of Khuzestan and Bushehr. Iranian officials said two areas near the oil-producing city of Ahvaz were also attacked.
Iran continued launching missiles and drones after the U.S. operation ended. Sirens sounded in Bahrain for the third time overnight after Iranian attacks were also reported toward Kuwait, Oman and Jordan.
Iran said it targeted the Amir Hassan air base in Jordan, Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain and the Ali Al Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber bases in Kuwait.
Tehran also claimed to have attacked U.S. missile positions, destroyed two HIMARS launchers and struck radar systems in Oman. Those claims were not independently confirmed.
Jordan said it intercepted four missiles.
The renewed fighting sent Brent crude prices up about 4% to approximately $79 a barrel. Asian stock markets also declined, with South Korea’s main index falling more than 5%.