President Donald Trump said that the U.S. will collect revenue from protecting ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to Fox News' Fox and Friends, the president criticized Tehran, accusing it of breaking agreements between the countries to cease hostilities. "We had a deal. it was a done deal. and then they broke it. they always break it."
He went on to claim that the U.S. is going to "keep the strait" and "probably run it."
"We will become the guardian of the strait, and we should be reimbursed for that," Trump added, saying that the U.S. "we can't be expected to do that for nothing like we have for many years."
"Wow we're going to guard it and we're going to get paid for guarding it, a lot of money," Trump claimed.
The president later said in a social media publication that the U.S. will reinstate the blockade of Iranian ports, noting that "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. 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% 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."
Trump's remarks follow renewed clashes with Iran over the key waterway. This has led to a decline in traffic as Tehran keeps targeting vessels seeking to cross the key waterway. Washington, in turn, claims the strait is open and is ensuring safe passage for ships.
Citing shipping data from Kpler, Reuters detailed that traffic slowed to a five-week low on Sunday, with only six vessels going through the waterway. President Donald Trump said the strait is open to commercial traffic but Tehran claims it is closed. The country's revolutionary guard said on Monday that forces stopped two ships after shutting down its systems.
In this context, a top Iranian official said the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran is in "crisis."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the U.S. "violated its commitments" defined in the document.
Quoted in the state news agency IRNA, Baghaei went on to reject rumors that recent talks included nuclear matters.
He said the discussions "were solely focused on the issue of the Strait of Hormuz" and Tehran's effort was "to reach a mechanism in consultation with Oman that would ensure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz."
Baghaei then claimed that the countries did not reach an agreement with Oman, located on the other side of the waterway, due to "overt and covert pressure from the U.S. on Oman."
He also defended Iran's decision to launch attacks against countries in the region in retaliation for U.S. strikes, claiming Tehran is only targeting "the bases, facilities, and positions used by the United States to attack Iran, including its logistical and support facilities."
The country targeted bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman and Qatar, the country's state media claimed. CNBC said sirens sounded for a third time in Bahrain on Monday. The U.S. Central Command said on Sunday that the U.S. had targeted dozens of targets related to the country's tools to attack vessels attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
