U.S. Proposes Taking Control of Strait of Hormuz, Charging 20% Fee – Could Generate $790 Million Daily

According to U.S. political news site Politico, former President Donald Trump said in a morning interview on the talk show 'Fox & Friends' today: 'We will become the guardians of this strait. We will strike Iran hard and secure the strait—perhaps take direct control of it.'

Trump made these remarks just as a new round of airstrikes erupted in the Persian Gulf, following intense clashes between Iran and the U.S. over the weekend.

Shortly after the Fox News interview, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, announcing that the U.S. would restart its military blockade against Iran.

He stated, 'All other countries can use this strait fairly and freely,' but 'on the principle of fairness, the U.S. will impose a 20% fee on the value of cargo transported by all vessels passing through, to compensate for the costs of providing security in this highly volatile region... The relevant procedures and deployments will begin immediately.'

During the show, Trump claimed, 'We’ve guarded this strait for 50 years and never received any payment. We deserve compensation because American personnel are being put in danger.'

Why is the Strait of Hormuz so important?

Based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and Chinese customs, if the U.S. were to impose a 20% fee on all cargo, it could generate approximately $250 million per day (about NT$7.9 billion).

Iran’s state media announced on the 11th that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed 'until further notice.' However, Trump, during an interview with NBC’s 'Meet the Press' yesterday, dismissed the claim, insisting the strait remains 'open' and stating that U.S. forces 'hit them hard last night.'

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a statement saying that U.S. forces conducted another attack on Iran later today 'under the direction of the Commander-in-Chief.' This marks the third consecutive day of attacks since Trump declared the ceasefire agreement 'over' on the 10th, signaling a significant escalation in the conflict.

According to Iran’s official news agency, an Iranian military spokesperson said today: 'Under no circumstances will we allow U.S. interference in the management of the Strait of Hormuz, and we will never accept it in the future.' (Translation: Chang Ming-hsuan)