President Donald Trump has said the United States will seek compensation for protecting the Strait of Hormuz after declaring it would take over responsibility for securing the strategic waterway.
Speaking during an interview on Fox News’ Fox & Friends on Monday, July 13, Trump said the US would become the “guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz and argued that countries benefiting from its security should help cover the cost. “We’ll become the guardian of the Strait. We’re going to get paid for guarding it. A lot of money, but we just want to be reimbursed for doing all of this, for putting our people in danger.”
Trump added that the US had been protecting the waterway for years without compensation. “We’re going to keep the strait, and we’ll probably run it. We’ll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we’ll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And we should be reimbursed for that.”
The remarks come amid renewed tensions between the United States and Iran following a series of military exchanges that have cast doubt on efforts to preserve an interim ceasefire agreement reached earlier this year. The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the dispute because of its importance to global oil and gas shipments.
Trump also accused Iran of failing to honour previous agreements reached during negotiations. “We had a deal. It was a done deal, and then they broke it. They always break it. We’ve had 10 deals with these people, and so we’re just going to hit them very hard.”
He also criticised Iranian negotiators, claiming they sought changes after marathon talks. “Yesterday, they had an 11-hour meeting and everything was agreed to. Then they leave the room, call back, and say they had to make a couple of changes.”
Iran’s foreign ministry said it is continuing discussions with mediators from Qatar, Pakistan and Oman in an effort to prevent further escalation.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has insisted the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and warned that normal shipping would only resume if the United States ended its military operations in the area. The group also cautioned that continued interference could have wider consequences for the global oil and gas market.
The latest confrontation follows missile and drone attacks exchanged by US and Iranian forces over the weekend, with Tehran saying it targeted American military facilities across the Gulf while maintaining its closure of the waterway. The renewed hostilities have raised concerns over global energy supplies and pushed oil prices higher.
