Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, on Tuesday, took a fresh dig at Donald Trump after the US President announced a 20 per cent fee for a safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Talking to X, the foreign minister hinted that Iran would charge fees for transit and safety through the key strait.
“POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service. Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is, of course, too much. We will be fair,” wrote Araghchi on the social media platform.
Trump’s announces fee for Strait of Hormuz
Araghchi’s dig comes after US President Donald Trump announced that the US will charge a 20 per cent fee to ensure the safety of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
“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,” the US President wrote on Truth Social.
Ahead of this announcement, the President also spoke in a FOX news interview, where he stated that the US plans to take over the key strait.
“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,” he told Fox and Friends.
“We guarded the strait for 50 years and never got paid for it. We want to be reimbursed for this, for putting our people in danger,” he added further.
US-Iran war escalates
Trump’s comments come on the heels of fresh strikes in the Gulf as both the US and Iran exchange fire, renewing the tensions in the region and effectively restarting the war.
The war in West Asia broke out on February 28, after the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Tehran. While a ceasefire went into effect on April 8, Washington and Iran reached a peace deal framework and signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding during the G7 Summit in France.
However, weeks after that, Trump announced at the NATO Summit 2026 in Ankara, that for him, the ceasefire with Iran was “over” and any further negotiations and talks “would be a waste of time.” The President’s remarks came after the US launched fresh strikes against Iran.
