Trump slammed over Strait of Hormuz fee: “In the past, this was considered piracy”

President Donald Trump announced that the US is reinstating its naval blockade on Iran.

“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE,” Trump said on Truth Social.

He then added that “The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as the GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT” and stated that a 20% security charge would be imposed on all transit.

“The U.S.A. … 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,” he said.

He first floated the idea during a Fox News interview, suggesting that America take over the strait. “We’re going to keep the strait, and we’ll probably run it. We’ll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we’ll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And we should be reimbursed for that,” he told the “Fox & Friends” program.

A broken deal

The announcement follows a weekend of violence. Over the weekend, US and Iranian forces exchanged heavy missile and drone strikes, driving oil prices higher. The clashes shattered last month’s fragile ceasefire.

Trump expressed deep frustration over the failed negotiations. “We had a deal. It was a done deal, and then they broke it. They always break it. We’ve had 10 deals with these people, and so we’re just going to hit them very hard,” Trump said.

Following the strikes, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards blamed the mounting chaos directly on the US military presence. They warned that any further interference would disrupt the global energy sector.

“This was considered piracy”

The pricing plan sparked immediate backlash. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva strongly condemned the transit fee, comparing the proposed charge to piracy on the high seas.

“In the past, this was considered piracy,” Lula said at an event in São Paulo.

The Brazilian leader warned that Washington cannot adopt the behavior it once fought against. “A major country like the United States, which I believe has fought piracy for a long time, cannot behave like a pirate today,” he added.

This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation