According to the US newspaper The Hill, on July 13th, local time, U.S. President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House that the United States is protecting a ‘very wealthy’ region, and therefore should receive compensation from the relevant countries.
“Yes, I hope to receive compensation, as we are protecting a very wealthy region in the world. We are spending money, so we will receive compensation for this protection.” He mentioned specific countries, stating that there were others as well.
Live video shows that Trump also made specific mentions of someone.
He also said that the United States does not “need” these countries, because “we have more oil than any other country in the world.” He said that therefore, the actions taken by the United States in the Middle East are “mainly to protect allies.”
Trump stated on the 13th that he would collect “protection money”, and named Israel and the five Gulf countries. Video screenshot
Earlier that day, Trump posted a statement stating that starting from today, the United States would become the “guardian of the Hormuz Strait.” A 20% fee would be imposed on all goods transported through this area, with the purpose of “compensating for the necessary costs incurred in maintaining the security and stability of this region of global turmoil.” The relevant procedures and deployment will begin immediately.
Subsequently, Iran's Foreign Minister Alaghizi refuted Trump's statement, claiming that Iran is the "guardian" of that strait and should receive compensation.
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 be compensated for this. But Iran has always been the guardian of that strait, and will always be so." He said that Iran would charge fees in a "fair" manner, and 20% is too high.
