President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States would be compensated for securing the Strait of Hormuz after declaring that Washington would be “taking over” protection of the strategic waterway.
“We’ll become the guardian of the Strait,” Trump told Fox & Friends, arguing that while the US had long protected the vital shipping route “for nothing,” wealthy nations would now reimburse Washington for the effort.
“We’re going to get paid for guarding it. A lot of money, but we just want to be reimbursed for doing all of this, for putting our people in danger,” he said.
Trump’s remarks came after the United States and Iran exchanged attacks at a level not seen since an April ceasefire, deepening uncertainty over efforts to secure a lasting end to the conflict, which has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest hostilities have centered on the strategically important waterway, a critical artery for global energy supplies and a longstanding flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Tehran.
During the interview, Trump also criticized Iranian negotiators, accusing them of attempting to revise terms that he said had been agreed during lengthy weekend talks.
“We’re taking over the Strait. They have nothing. They’ve got nothing,” Trump said. “Yesterday, they had an 11-hour meeting … and everything was agreed to yesterday. Then they leave the room, call back, and say they had to make a couple of changes,” he added, without specifying what changes Iran had requested.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday that Tehran was in contact with mediators from Qatar, Pakistan, and Oman in an effort to prevent further escalation of the conflict.
While Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has declared the Strait of Hormuz “closed,” the United States maintains that the waterway remains open to international maritime traffic and is not under Iranian control.
AFP
