On July 13th, US President Trump proposed a measure that would impose a compensation fee of 20% on cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Bloomberg reports that this amounts to approximately $30 million in costs for super-large oil tankers carrying full loads of oil.
Reports say that this calculation is based on current oil prices of about $80 per barrel. The supertankers can carry approximately 2 million barrels of crude oil.
According to people familiar with the matter, compared to this, Iran previously charged only about $2 million per flight.
On the 13th, Trump posted an article stating that starting from that day, the United States would become the “guardian of the Hormuz Strait”. A 20% fee would be charged on all goods transported through this area, with the money being used to “compensate for the necessary costs incurred in maintaining the safety and stability of this globally turbulent region”. Relevant procedures and deployment efforts will be launched immediately.
The White House has not provided any details about Trump’s proposed fee structure, including how it would be implemented, nor has it informed any of America’s allies in the Gulf region.
Bloomberg states that the international shipping industry is surprised by this and somewhat skeptical.
Nearly a dozen people involved in the shipping market said that they were not informed in advance about Trump’s plan to impose fees. Due to a lack of details, it is too early to determine how this plan will affect their decision-making regarding transshipment.
Trump delivered a speech at the White House on the 13th. Video screenshot
It is worth mentioning that Iranian Foreign Minister Ebrahim Raisi posted a statement on the 13th, mocking Trump's fee-based plan.
Alaghazi wrote on social media: "The President of the United States is right. Anyone who provides security for merchant ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz should receive compensation for this. But Iran has always been the guardian of that strait, and will remain so." He said Iran would charge fees in a "fair" manner, and the 20% demanded by Trump is "too high."
