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Is the renewed back-and-forth fighting with Iran the new normal? Here’s what the president says
President Donald Trump announced a renewed blockade of Iranian ports and a shipping toll through the Strait of Hormuz, as U.S.-Iranian military strikes continue to escalate.
Supervising Producer
WASHINGTON —
The United States launched attacks against Iran for the third consecutive night, with President Donald Trump announcing a renewed blockade of Iranian ports and the imposition of a shipping toll through the Strait of Hormuz.
The president posted online, “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.”
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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded, “Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair.”
Trump later told reporters, “We’re taking out all of their capability for anything having to do with the strait, with the Hormuz Strait, and I think in the end, we will end up just controlling the whole thing.”
This is a major shift in the administration’s longtime stance that the Strait should remain open to everyone toll-free. It’s also at odds with what other members of the administration have been saying for months.
During a White House briefing on June 18, Vice President JD Vance said, “We believe international waterways should be free of tolls.”
On June 23, Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed that sentiment, saying, “No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law. That’s the way it is in international waterways all over the world, and that’s the way we’ll expect it’ll be here.”
Rubio added two days later, “There is zero support – zero support – among the Gulf countries for any sort of toll or fees or anything that charges for the use of international waters.”
The blockade is set to resume on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, U.S. and Iranian attacks continue to escalate in the Middle East. U.S. Central Command released new video showing American forces striking targets across Iran on Monday. In response, Iran launched strikes against countries hosting U.S. forces.
When asked on Monday if this ongoing exchange of attacks could become the new normal, Trump said, “No. Well, you know, we’re in Vietnam for 19 years, we’re here for four months, so I think we’ve done a lot. We’ve knocked out their Navy in a period of one month. We knocked out their air force. Their air force is nonexistent. We knocked out most of their missiles.”
Following the president’s announcement of the renewed blockade, Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose to approximately $84 a barrel. However, this remains significantly lower than its peak that hit $120 a barrel four months ago.
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