“The United States will, from now on, be known as ‘the guardian of Hormuz’.” Those are the words of Donald Trump, who in a series of statements about Iran first returned to threatening Tehran over control of maritime traffic in the Strait, then announced a new U.S. naval blockade of the area, and finally hinted at further strikes against the enemy, to be launched this evening.
“We will strike hard,” the U.S. president said during a radio interview ahead of the new operation’s start. “These people are crazy. For them agreements are made to be broken,” he added, renewing his sharp criticism of Iran’s leadership.
“They are extremely unreliable and, frankly, if they ever had a nuclear weapon they would use it within a day,” he went on. According to the tycoon, the memorandum of understanding signed with Tehran “was a test. We did not know how it would go. When you deal with scoundrels, memoranda of understanding are worth very little. It was a kind of test and they did not pass it.”
The U.S. leader then identified the Iranian site at Pickaxe Mountain as a possible military target, saying the United States could strike it “relatively soon.”
Third consecutive night of raids and notification to Congress: tycoon returns to war
The start of the third consecutive night of attacks against Iran, anticipated by Trump, was officially announced by U.S. Central Command. “At 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time (10:45 p.m. in Italy), Central Command began, for the third consecutive night, the launching of raids against Iran at the direction of the commander in chief,” read a post published on X.
“These strikes will continue to impose a high cost on Iranian forces and reduce their ability to strike innocent civilians and commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz,” Centcom added.
Trump has meanwhile formally notified Congress of the resumption of military operations against Iran, thereby granting the Pentagon an additional 60 days to employ U.S. forces in the Centcom area of responsibility without congressional authorization.
In a two-page letter sent Friday to congressional leaders and reviewed by The Hill, the tycoon stated that U.S. strikes resumed on July 7, in accordance with the War Powers Act, the law that requires the president to inform Congress within 48 hours of commencing military operations abroad.
“No U.S. ground forces are involved. The strikes are limited, proportionate, and planned and executed to minimize civilian casualties,” Trump wrote in the letter. Under the War Powers Act, after notifying Congress the president may employ the armed forces for 60 days, with the possibility of a further 30-day extension. Any continuation of operations beyond that period would require specific authorization from Congress.
Trump and the Hormuz fee: what he said
The United States, acting as “guardians of the Strait of Hormuz” and for reasons of fairness, “will receive a reimbursement equal to 20% on all shipped goods, to cover all costs necessary to perform the task of ensuring security in this particularly unstable area of the world,” the U.S. president announced in a post on Truth Social. “The process and organization will begin immediately,” he added.
“The Strait of Hormuz is open and will remain open, with or without Iran. We are restoring the Iranian blockade, so called because it only prevents Iranian ships or customers from entering or leaving,” the president said. “All other countries will be able to use the Strait fairly and freely,” he assured.
Earlier, Trump said he was ready to “take control” of the Strait. “We will protect it, and we will be paid a lot of money to do it. We want to be compensated for putting our people at risk,” he told Fox News. “We had an agreement but the Iranians always break it. We will hit them hard.” “We will be the guardian angel. We should be compensated for this,” the tycoon argued.
U.S. naval blockade from tonight
The U.S. naval blockade of maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports will resume at 10:00 p.m. Italian time today, Central Command announced, specifying that the operation will commence on orders from President Trump.
“Centcom forces will enforce the blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas,” the command said in a release. U.S. forces will continue to “support the flow of traffic through regional waters for all ships that do not violate the blockade.”
Tehran’s reaction
Before the new wave of attacks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded sarcastically to the tycoon’s comments about a “Hormuz tax.”
“The President of the United States is absolutely right. Whoever guarantees safe and secure passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for that service,” Araghchi wrote in a post on X. Then the sarcastic jab: “20% is obviously too much. We will be fair,” the Iranian minister added, referring to the percentage invoked by Trump. “Iran has always been the guardian of the Strait and will remain so forever,” the Tehran diplomat concluded.
“We will not allow the United States to interfere, in any way, in the management of the Strait of Hormuz,” assured the spokesperson for the Iranian military command Khatam al-Anbiya. Iran states that its forces “will respond firmly to disorder or insecurity” outside the routes designated by Tehran and that “any form of logistical support and cooperation with the U.S.” will be “considered equivalent to war against the sovereignty and national security of Iran,” adding that the conflict could “involve the entire region.”
“We will continue to exercise sovereignty and control over the management of the Strait of Hormuz with strength and power,” said Hossein Mohebbi, spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, quoted by Iran International after Donald Trump’s remarks.
The IRGC spokesperson also accused the United States of “risking global oil and gas supplies with their actions,” stating that the U.S. “must be held accountable.”
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