(TNND) — President Donald Trump on Monday declared the United States would become the “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait,” announcing a new policy to keep the strategic waterway open while reinstating the “Iranian Blockade” after another round of U.S. and Iranian attacks further strained a fragile 60-day truce.
In a Truth Social post, Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz “is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran.” He said only Iranian ships and their customers would be barred from using the waterway, while all other nations would continue to have unrestricted access under U.S. protection.
Trump also said countries using the shipping lane would reimburse the United States an amount equal to 20% of the cargo shipped to cover the cost of securing the waterway. He said implementation would begin immediately.
The announcement followed a new round of U.S. strikes against Iran. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces targeted Iranian air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats “to continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships” transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global trade. Iran does not control it,” CENTCOM said.
“We bombed the hell out of them last night,” Trump said during NBC’s Meet the Press.
CENTCOM released a video on Monday of forces “using multiple one-way attack surface drones” to successfully strike a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran.
“Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations,” the military wrote on X. Last night’s strikes degraded Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial shipping.”
The latest escalation comes as Washington and Tehran remain locked in a dispute over the strategic waterway. Iran argues it has the right to manage traffic through the strait and potentially charge transit fees, while the United States maintains international law guarantees freedom of navigation and has worked to establish an alternative shipping route outside Iranian control.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which oversees the country’s ballistic missile arsenal, condemned the U.S. operation.
The Strait of Hormuz is our territory, and we will not allow a rogue and child-killing army from the other side of the world to continue its illegal interference in it,” the Guard said.
Iran responded by launching attacks against countries hosting U.S. military forces, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Oman, while declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed and insisting it alone has authority over the waterway. Trump and the U.S. military rejected that claim, maintaining the vital shipping lane remained open to international traffic.
Despite Iran’s declaration, the U.S. military has continued supporting commercial vessels traveling along a southern route hugging Oman’s coastline. Iran has repeatedly targeted ships using that corridor.
Traffic along the Oman route dropped over the weekend “to minimal levels, indicating that operators continue to prioritize perceived security over more direct transit options,” ship-tracking website MarineTraffic.com said.
As military tensions escalated, diplomatic efforts to preserve the ceasefire continued.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei accused Washington of undermining the interim agreement.
“Considering the memorandum of understanding’s fourteen clauses, the Americans have, in this brief period, in one way or another, slaughtered its various components,” Baghaei told reporters Monday.
Baghaei also said Iran would not allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to visit nuclear sites bombed by the U.S. in 2025, where Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium is believed to remain.
Trump said last week the interim deal was “over,” but mediators including Pakistan, Qatar and Egypt have continued pushing both sides toward a permanent agreement.
A regional official involved in the talks, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations, said efforts to preserve the ceasefire continued Sunday. Pakistan also said its foreign minister spoke with Iran’s top diplomat and urged “de-escalation” on both sides.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared publicly since the war began. On Saturday, he vowed to avenge the killing of his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, underscoring the deepening hostility even as international mediators continue working toward a permanent peace agreement.
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Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.