US President Donald Trump on Monday (July 13, 2026) said the United States was “reinstating” a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and, in a move that appeared to mark a shift in policy, would charge other vessels for safe passage.
The announcement followed an Iranian attack on a container vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday (July 12, 2026). Iran has maintained control over the strategic route for international oil and gas shipments since the conflict involving the United States and Israel began.
Mr. Trump’s remarks escalated a growing dispute between Washington and Tehran over the status of the vital shipping route at the centre of renewed tensions between the two countries.
. File photo | Photo Credit: Bloomberg
US President Donald Trump on Monday (July 13, 2026) said the United States was “reinstating” a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and, in a move that appeared to mark a shift in policy, would charge other vessels for safe passage.
The announcement followed an Iranian attack on a container vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday (July 12, 2026). Iran has maintained control over the strategic route for international oil and gas shipments since the conflict involving the United States and Israel began.
Trump announces Hormuz blockade
Mr. Trump’s remarks escalated a growing dispute between Washington and Tehran over the status of the vital shipping route at the centre of renewed tensions between the two countries.
“We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE,” Mr. Trump said in a social media post. “All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait.”
He said the United States would be “reimbursed” through a levy amounting to 20 per cent of the value of cargo passing through the waterway, to cover “any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security”.
About one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies transited the Strait of Hormuz before Iran effectively closed the route at the outset of the war, pushing up worldwide prices of energy, fertiliser and other commodities. Although traffic improved following last month’s agreement, volumes have remained well below pre-war levels.
|