Trump Says U.S. Will Control Hormuz Strait and Charge 20 Percent Toll; UN and Rubio Say Tolls Are Illegal

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on July 13 that the United States will take control of the Strait of Hormuz and charge a 20 percent toll on all cargo shipped through it. Trump posted on Truth Social that the United States will be known as "THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT" and will be reimbursed for safety and security costs.

Trump also stated that the strait is open and will remain open with or without Iran. He announced the reinstatement of the U.S. military blockade on Iran, which was first imposed in mid-April 2026, lifted in June, and now restored.

In a Fox News interview the same day, Trump said Iran broke a deal with the United States and that the U.S. will hit Iran very hard. He told Fox & Friends that other nations are wealthy and the United States cannot provide security for free.

U.S. Central Command forces struck dozens of Iranian targets on July 12 in retaliation for Iranian assaults on ships in the strait. An IRGC spokesperson told Reuters that Iran will assert authority over the strait and force foreigners to surrender to the will of the Iranian people.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that the strait is an international waterway where no country may charge tolls under existing international law. The United Nations' International Maritime Organization condemned any attempt by Washington or Tehran to impose tolls.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that continued U.S. military intervention could lead to greater incidents in the global oil and gas sector. A fifth of global oil and gas once passed through the strait before the Iran war began in late February 2026.