US President Donald Trump says Washington will secure the Strait of Hormuz and impose a 20 per cent charge on cargo as the IMO rejects the proposal

United States President Donald Trump has announced plans for the US to assume responsibility for securing the Strait of Hormuz while imposing a 20 per cent charge on cargo transiting the strategic waterway, a move that has drawn swift opposition from the International Maritime Organisation amid escalating military tensions with Iran.

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The Trump Hormuz Cargo Charge proposal came after the United States and Iran exchanged fresh missile and drone attacks, deepening concerns over security in one of the world’s most important maritime routes.

The Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and Oman, carries around 20 per cent of global oil shipments and is regarded as a vital artery for international energy markets.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared that the waterway would remain open regardless of Iran’s actions and announced the return of what he described as an Iranian blockade targeting Iranian vessels and their customers.

“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran,” Trump wrote.

The US president added: “The United States will now be known as THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” saying Washington would be reimbursed “at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped” to recover the costs of providing security in the volatile region. Trump also said implementation of the policy would begin immediately.

The US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Centre later disclosed that enforcement of the renewed blockade was scheduled to begin at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

The proposal received an immediate response from the International Maritime Organisation, the United Nations agency responsible for regulating global shipping.

“We have always been consistent on our stance on fees. IMO stands firmly against charging fees for passage through straits used for international navigation,” an IMO spokesperson said.

“There is no legal basis through which to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait.”

Shipping industry representatives also questioned how such a system would operate in practice and warned that imposing mandatory transit charges could conflict with established principles of international maritime law.

The latest announcement marks another dramatic escalation in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran.

The renewed hostilities follow Iran’s declaration over the weekend that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz after a series of military exchanges with US forces, prompting fears of disruption to global energy supplies and renewed inflationary pressure across international markets.

Oil prices climbed following the developments as traders assessed the risks to one of the world’s busiest oil transit routes.

The Strait of Hormuz has long occupied a central place in geopolitical disputes in the Gulf.

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Previous confrontations involving Iran, the United States and regional allies have repeatedly raised concerns over freedom of navigation, but international maritime law has traditionally supported the right of transit through international straits without mandatory tolls, making Trump’s proposal likely to face significant diplomatic and legal scrutiny.