Trump says U.S. will get paid 'a lot of money' to guard Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the United States intends to "become the guardian" of the Strait of Hormuz and expects substantial financial reimbursement for securing the crucial waterway.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump asserted that the U.S. would "keep the strait, and we'll probably run it." He proposed a new role, perhaps calling it the "Guardian Angel of the Strait," emphasizing that the U.S. has guarded it for more than 50 years without payment while other nations have benefited financially. "Now we will guard it and get paid for it, a lot of money," he declared.

“

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.

Trump implied that Persian Gulf energy producers should be among those countries paying the U.S., stating that these nations are wealthy and on America's side, and the U.S. cannot be expected to provide this security for free. He reiterated that the U.S. guarded the strait for decades without compensation.

“

When we do that, 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.

The Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for global oil transport, has seen significantly reduced maritime traffic since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint war on Iran on February 28. Disputes over control of the strait have hindered peace deal negotiations.

Iran has previously argued that a mid-June memorandum of understanding granted it the right to control shipping through the strait. The U.S. and Iran have clashed over the use of a southern route near Oman, which President Trump insists is open. Iran's embassy in the U.K. accused the U.S. of violating the agreement by pushing vessels toward this route, calling it "legally questionable but also unsafe, unreliable, and prone to accidents."

“

We guarded it for nothing, and now we're going to guard it. We're going to get paid for guarding it, a lot of money.

In response to recent U.S. airstrikes following Iranian attacks on ships, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority declared on social media that passage through the Strait of Hormuz is "currently unfeasible" due to "recent hostile actions by the US forces." The authority added that applications for passage would be reviewed once stability is restored, reminding vessels that permits are obtained through Iran.

“

Iran has argued that the vaguely worded memorandum of understanding signed by the U.S. and Iran in mid-June gave it the right to control shipping through the strait, and it balked at the U.S. government and military's calls for ships to use the southern route close to Oman, which President Trump has insisted is open.