Trump: Decided to cancel the charge in the Strait of Hormuz; instead, Gulf countries will reach trade and investment agreements with the US, and the strait will be opened to all ships except those from Iran

US President Trump today (July 14) posted on the social media platform “Truth Social,” saying, “Thanks to the strong capabilities of the US military, oil is flowing smoothly at an unprecedented scale, and the Strait of Hormuz is open to all ships except those from Iran.”

Trump said that, given “productive talks” with leaders of Middle Eastern countries, he decided to scrap the “20% US compensation fee” and instead have Gulf countries reach trade and investment agreements with the US—“the scale of these investments will be extremely large, and will greatly benefit these countries and their future; factories, facilities, and equipment will pour into the United States at an unprecedented scale, thereby creating millions of high-paying jobs.” Trump said, “The United States is regaining victory—and it is an unprecedented victory.”

Earlier reports:

According to Iranian media, Rezaei, a military adviser to Mujtaba Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, said today (July 14) that, “The Iran-US memorandum of understanding no longer exists; the enemy has officially entered a state of war.

As for whether the Strait of Hormuz charges transit fees, in less than a month, the White House’s line has changed. On July 13, US President Trump posted on social media saying that the US will restore its maritime blockade of Iran and will charge a 20% fee on all cargo transported via the Strait of Hormuz. US Secretary of State Rubio had previously repeatedly said that no country has the right to collect transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz.

During a phone interview with the US Fox News Channel on July 13, Trump said that the US would continue to control the Strait of Hormuz, becoming the “guardian angel” of the Strait of Hormuz, and that the US would also need to be paid for guarding the strait. “Since we’re taking on this task, we should be compensated, because other countries are wealthy and are standing on our side—we can’t expect us to do the work for free.”