Trump Retracts 20% Tariff on Ships Crossing the Strait of Hormuz

SadaNews - President Donald Trump announced his retraction of the 20% tariff on ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump wrote on his "Truth Social" account: "Oil is flowing today in unprecedented abundance, thanks to the tremendous power of the U.S. military," sending a "special salute to Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Kin, and Commander of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper.” He stated, “Thanks to them, and all members of the strongest military in the world, the Strait of Hormuz is open to all ships except Iran, due to its lying, violent, and hateful leadership leading it to total destruction."

He added, "We will impose a full blockade, but only on ships coming from and to Iranian ports or carrying any Iranian shipments," clarifying that "based on extremely fruitful talks with Middle Eastern leaders, I have decided to replace the 20% U.S. recovery fee with trade and investment agreements established by various Gulf states with the United States."

He pointed out that "these investments will be enormous, but at the same time, they will be extremely beneficial for these countries and their future."

He continued: "As everyone knows, we have the largest dollar investment in the United States compared to any other country in history, but these new investments will significantly increase that number, and we will witness an unprecedented flow of factories, facilities, and equipment into the United States, creating millions of high-paying American jobs. America wins again, an unprecedented victory."

He went on to state: "The days of Iran that killed hundreds of thousands of people, including 52,000 demonstrators, are over, and most importantly, Iran will never have a nuclear weapon."

On Monday, Trump announced the re-imposition of the maritime blockade on Iran.

He wrote on his "Truth Social" account: "The Strait of Hormuz is open, and it will remain open, whether Iran is present or not."

He added: "We are re-imposing the blockade on Iran, a name given to it because it is limited to preventing Iranian ships or Iranian agents from entering or exiting, while all other nations will enjoy the right to fair and open use of the strait."

He stated that "from now on, the United States will be known as the (Guardian of the Strait of Hormuz); accordingly, and in the interest of fairness, it will be compensated 20% of the value of all shipments transported for all costs necessary to undertake the mission of ensuring safety and security in this highly troubled area of the world."

Trump confirmed that "the acts and arrangements of this order will begin immediately."

Trump's statements regarding the re-imposition of the blockade on America came just hours after he announced that the United States would control the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump added, in an interview with Fox News, that the Iranians are bad people, stressing: "There was an agreement between us, and they violated it," referring to the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.

The U.S. president continued: "We will charge fees for guarding the Strait of Hormuz."

In response, Iran's joint military high command announced that Tehran would not allow Washington to intervene in managing the Strait of Hormuz.

It stated that Iran would strongly confront any U.S. attempt to cross the strait without Iranian permission.

The joint military high command sent a message to the leaders of the region, stating that "any cooperation with America will be considered a war against Iran."

It warned that "if the war expands, it will reach all countries in the region, and the responsibility falls on America and its allies."

For its part, the spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that America has jeopardized the security of global oil and gas supplies through its intervention in the Strait of Hormuz.

He added: "We reiterate our authority and control over the Strait of Hormuz."