US-Iran War News Highlights: Trump Says US to Take Over Hormuz, Claims Reimbursement Via 20% of Cargo

President Trump announced Monday that the United States is reinstating its naval blockade on Iranian ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, while declaring the U.S. will collect a 20% fee on all other cargo passing through the waterway — effectively positioning Washington as a paid enforcer of shipping security in one of the world's most strategically vital chokepoints.

Trump's Announcement

In a Truth Social post, Trump declared: "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." He added that "the process and formation will begin immediately" and said "all other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait" — with the notable exception of Iran, whose vessels remain subject to the reinstated blockade.

Trump separately told reporters the U.S. had guarded the strait "for nothing" for years and argued that should change: "We can't be expected to do that for nothing, unlike we had for many years. We guarded it for nothing, and now we're going to guard it, we're going to get paid for guarding it. A lot of money."

The Backdrop: A Fresh Wave of Strikes

The announcement came as fighting between the U.S. and Iran intensified further. U.S. Central Command said it had "completed a new wave of offensive strikes against Iran," hitting dozens of targets with precision munitions aimed at degrading Iran's ability to continue attacking international shipping through the strait. The strikes followed Iran's attack on a container ship transiting the waterway the previous week, which prompted Trump to declare at last week's NATO summit that the ceasefire between the two countries was "over." According to Euronews, the exchange marked the biggest single burst of fighting since the original ceasefire, with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps striking Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Oman in response. Trump formally notified the Senate of the resumed military action in a July 10 letter required under the War Powers Resolution.

Flipping the Script on Iran's Own Toll Demands

Trump's 20% fee proposal notably mirrors — and inverts — a dispute that has simmered since the conflict began. Since fighting first broke out, Iran has signaled its own intention to charge tolls or fees on ships transiting the strait, a demand the U.S. and Western allies have consistently rejected. The mid-June ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran explicitly prohibited Iran from imposing any such charges on commercial vessels — a provision that has been effectively overtaken by events as repeated attacks have unraveled the broader truce. Iran's Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters' Union spokesperson had separately indicated Tehran intended to demand toll payments in cryptocurrency during any ceasefire period, underscoring how central control over strait tolls has become to both sides' negotiating posture.

Big Questions About How the Fee Would Actually Work

Trump's proposal has left shipping industry experts with more questions than answers. John McCown, a senior fellow at the Center for Maritime Strategy and former shipping logistics CEO, told CNN that the first problem is basic transparency: potential users of the service "need to know what it would cost" before deciding whether to pay for it. It also remains entirely unclear how the fee would even be calculated — McCown floated several possibilities, including 20% of the U.S. Navy's blockade-related costs divided among ships, 20% of the cost of escorting individual cargo vessels, or a 20% charge on the value of goods being transported. The White House did not respond to CNN's request for further detail on the mechanism.

McCown noted that under typical shipping economics, carriers charge shippers roughly 2%–3% of the value of their goods in fees — meaning a 20% charge would be nearly ten times the industry norm and, in his assessment, likely unaffordable for most shippers regardless of how it's ultimately structured.

Market Reaction

Oil prices jumped following Trump's announcement, as traders weighed both the reinstated blockade on Iranian shipping and the uncertainty introduced by the proposed U.S. toll system. The Strait of Hormuz normally carries roughly 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, and tanker traffic through the waterway has already been reduced to a trickle amid the renewed fighting, adding further upward pressure on prices as the standoff over control of the strait continues.

What's Next

With Trump promising the fee "process and formation will begin immediately" but offering no concrete implementation details, and with Iran's own attacks on regional targets continuing to expand, the coming days are likely to bring further clarity — or further confusion — about how a U.S.-administered toll system on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes might actually function, and whether shippers and other nations will accept the arrangement at all.