On July 13th, U.S. President Donald Trump posted a statement on the social media platform 'Truth Social', saying, 'The Strait of Hormuz is open, and will remain open, regardless of whether Iran agrees or not.'
Trump stated that the United States will reinstate the “blockade against Iran.” This name is given because the measure “only targets Iranian ships or customers, restricting their access to the Strait,” while all other countries can use this Strait fairly and freely.
Trump said that starting today, the United States will become the "guardian of the Hormuz Strait," and that countries using this route should bear the costs associated with its protection. However, for the sake of fairness, necessary costs incurred to maintain security and stability in this region of global instability will be compensated. Related procedures and deployment efforts will begin immediately.
Earlier, Fox News aired an interview with Trump, in which he said: “We will take control of the strait. They have nothing.”
When talking about the Hormuz Strait, he continued: "We need to defend it. We will be compensated for doing so—a large sum of money."
We will receive compensation because other countries are very wealthy. They stand on our side, and we can't do this for nothing," Trump said, implying that the U.S. would collect fees from other nations for securing safe passage through a dangerous waterway.
In a latest statement, a spokesperson for the Central Command of the Iranian Armed Forces, Houtham Anbia, warned that Iran will never allow the United States to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz. The statement stated that if the US causes any “damage” to merchant ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz outside of “Iran’s designated routes” and without the permission of the Iranian armed forces, the Iranian Armed Forces will take “severe measures.”
