President Donald Trump said Monday the United States was “taking over” the Strait of Hormuz as fighting over the strategic waterway threatened to derail efforts to permanently end the war in the Middle East.

“We’re taking over the Strait. They have nothing. They’ve got nothing,” Trump said in an interview with “Fox and Friends,” where he also complained about the tactics of Iranian negotiators seeking changes on what was agreed during hours of talks “yesterday.”

He added that the United States would be paid for guarding the Strait of Hormuz. “We’ll become the guardian of the Strait,” Trump said, adding that the US had been guarding it for “nothing” but now would be reimbursed by wealthy nations. “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.”

Later in the day, posting on Truth Social, he said, “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.”

He added, “The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating the Iranian Blockade,” which would only stop Iranian ships or customers from leaving or entering the strait. “All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s military warned on Monday that it would not allow the United States to “interfere” in the management of the Strait of Hormuz as hostilities with Washington resumed.

The spokesman of Khatam Al-Anbiya military command said in a video message that Tehran “under no circumstances will allow… the United States to interfere in the management” of the strategic waterway, while warning Gulf countries that any cooperation with the US would be considered “an act of war”. (AFP/EIR)