United States President Donald Trump has declared that the US could assume control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz and expects to be financially compensated for safeguarding one of the world’s busiest oil shipping routes.
Speaking during a phone interview on Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Trump said Washington was prepared to take responsibility for securing the waterway as tensions with Iran continue to escalate.
“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,” Reuters quoted him to have said.
Trump argued that countries benefiting from the security of the Strait of Hormuz should bear the financial cost of its protection.
“We’re going to guard it. We’re going to get paid for guarding it – a lot of money.
“We’re going to be reimbursed, because the other nations are very wealthy. They’re on our side, and we can’t be expected to do that for nothing,” he said.
The remarks come after Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, citing what it described as an unauthorised transit. Tehran later insisted the vital shipping route would remain shut until “stability and calm” were restored.
Trump also accused Iran of repeatedly violating agreements reached with the United States.
“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 said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards maintained that the only path to restoring normal shipping through the strait was for the United States to halt its military operations in the area.
The group warned that “continued interference could lead to greater incidents in the global oil and gas sector.”
The latest standoff follows a fresh wave of missile and drone attacks exchanged between US and Iranian forces over the weekend and into Monday.
Tehran said it targeted US military facilities across the Gulf while maintaining its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a move that has already triggered a rise in global oil prices.
The renewed conflict has also cast fresh uncertainty over last month’s interim agreement between Washington and Tehran, which was intended to reopen the vital waterway and suspend military hostilities while both sides pursued further negotiations.
