US President Donald Trump on Monday declared the United States the “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait”, announcing plans to impose a 20% charge on cargo passing through the strategic waterway while reinstating a blockade targeting Iranian ships and their customers.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would remain open “with or without Iran” and insisted that only Iranian vessels and those doing business with Iran would be affected by the renewed blockade.

“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving,” Trump wrote.

He said all other countries would continue to enjoy “fair and open use” of the strait, one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.

Trump also announced that the United States would begin charging 20% on all cargo shipped through the Hormuz Strait, saying the proceeds would cover the costs of maintaining security in the region.

“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 said.

The US president added that work on implementing the new policy would begin immediately but did not provide details on how the cargo charges would be collected or enforced.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy corridor linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. A significant share of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas exports passes through the narrow waterway, making any changes to its security arrangements closely watched by global markets.

Blockade to be enforced today

The US ​military will begin enforcing a ‌maritime blockade on Iran on Tuesday, the U.S. Navy-led Joint ​Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) said on ​Monday.

The blockade, covering all of Iran’s ⁠ports, oil terminals and ​coastal areas, will be enforced ​for all vessel traffic — regardless of flag — from 2000 GMT on July ​14, the centre said ​in an advisory.

“Any vessel suspected of ‌entering ⁠or departing the blockaded area without authorisation is subject to interception, diversion, and capture. ​Non-compliant vessels ​may ⁠be legally compelled with force,” the statement said.

The ​centre said neutral transit ​through ⁠the Strait of Hormuz heading to or from non-Iranian ⁠destinations ​will not be ​impeded.