20% fee too much, we will be fair: Iran mocks Trump on Hormuz guardian remark

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has mocked US President Donald Trump's claim to charge a 20 per cent fee on cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz. He insisted that Iran -- not the US -- has always been the true guardian of the strategic waterway.

He took aim at the US President after Trump announced that Washington would become the "Guardian of the Hormuz Strait", reinstate an "Iranian blockade" and will charge a 20 per cent reimbursement on all cargo shipped through one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes.

In a post on X, Araghchi wrote: "POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service."

"Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair," he added.

The exchange marks the latest war of words between Washington and Tehran as both sides continue to stake competing claims over the Strait of Hormuz amid an escalating military confrontation across the Gulf.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES BLOCKADE ON IRAN

Hours earlier, in a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "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. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait."

He also said the United States would officially become the "Guardian of the Hormuz Strait" and argued that countries using the route should contribute towards the cost of protecting it.

"The USA 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 wrote, adding that "the process and formation will begin immediately," he added.

TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON HORMUZ CLAIM

Trump's Truth Social announcement followed comments he made during a phone interview with Fox News, where he first suggested that the United States would effectively take charge of the strategic chokepoint.

"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," he said.

His remarks came after days of escalating military exchanges between the US and Iran, with both countries asserting competing claims over the strait. Iran has rejected any US role in the strait, while Washington says it will keep the strategic shipping lane open.

The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and carries roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, making it one of the world's most strategically important maritime routes.

Control of the narrow waterway has emerged as one of the central flashpoints in the latest US-Iran confrontation. Any disruption to shipping through the strait has immediate implications for global energy markets, with oil prices rising sharply in recent days as tensions in the Gulf continue to escalate.