▲ This photo, released by the Associated Press, shows U.S. President Donald Trump speaking about FIFA after ringing the opening bell for the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on July 6, 2026. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) Trump-Hormuz Strait

(LEAD) Trump says U.S. will be 'reimbursed' at 20 pct rate on all cargo for ensuring safe Hormuz passage

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES throughout)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, July 13 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States will serve as the "guardian" of the Strait of Hormuz and be "reimbursed" at a 20 percent rate on all cargo shipped through the crucial waterway.

Trump made the remarks in a social media post, announcing that the U.S. is reinstating its naval blockade of Iranian ports, as disruptions to commercial traffic in the strait, a crucial shipping route for oil, natural gas and other commodities, continued amid the Middle East conflict.

"The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran's ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as 'THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,' but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20 percent 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 added the process will begin "immediately."

In a Fox News interview earlier in the day, Trump also said the U.S. will "keep" and "run" the strait, and should be reimbursed for controlling 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. And we should be reimbursed for that."

Iran has continued to exert control over the strait, while the Trump administration has stressed the importance of restoring free and safe passage through the waterway, calling it "an international waterway."

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