Trump says US will be 'guardian' of Strait of Hormuz, impose 20% cargo levy

US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed the United States was "taking over" the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz from Iran, accused Tehran of backing out of an agreement reached with Washington, and said the US would act as the "guardian" of the key global oil shipping route.

In a post on Truth Social later on Monday, Trump expanded on the proposal, declaring that the Strait of Hormuz "is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran," and announced the reinstatement of what he called the "Iranian blockade", which he said would only prevent Iranian ships or their customers from entering or leaving the waterway.

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"The U.S.A. 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. The process and formation will begin immediately," Trump wrote.

Earlier, speaking in an interview with Fox News' Fox & Friends, Trump said, "We're taking over the strait. They've got nothing."

Referring to the strategic waterway, he added, "Will be guardian of strait," and said, "We're going to get paid for guarding strait."

Trump also claimed Iran had reversed course after negotiations with the United States.

"We had a deal and they broke it," he said, adding that Iranian leaders held an 11-hour meeting with US officials during which "everything was agreed to," before later seeking changes to the terms. He did not specify which agreement he was referring to.

The US president further said Washington should have confronted the Iranian threat "47 years ago."

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Escalating his rhetoric, Trump claimed Iran was getting its "ass kicked" in the conflict with the United States, asserting that the country's navy, air force and missile capabilities had been virtually destroyed and that several Iranian leaders had been killed. He did not provide evidence for those claims.

Trump's remarks came as the United States continued military strikes on Iranian targets after he declared over the weekend that the ceasefire with Iran was "over." They also followed Iran's announcement that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran blaming what it described as "hostile actions" by the United States.