Trump Drops Planned Hormuz Transit Fee, Opts for Gulf Trade Deals

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is abandoning a proposed 20% fee on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, replacing it with trade and investment deals with Gulf allies following what he described as "highly productive conversations" with regional leaders.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had decided to replace the planned "20% United States Reimbursement Fee" with trade and investment agreements that Gulf states will make with the United States.

"I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States," Trump wrote.

The reversal came just a day after Trump declared that the United States was "THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT" and announced the transit fee, saying it would reimburse Washington for safeguarding one of the world's most important oil and gas shipping routes.

Despite dropping the fee, Trump said the United States will continue enforcing a "FULL Blockade" on vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports or carrying Iranian cargo.

"The blockade applies only to ships coming to and from Iranian ports, or carrying anything to do with Iranian cargo," he said.

The announcement follows renewed tensions between Washington and Tehran over the strategic waterway.

Iran's military command has rejected any U.S. role in the strait, saying it would not allow Washington to "interfere" in the waterway. Tehran also warned Gulf states against cooperating with the United States, as several of them have faced retaliatory Iranian attacks during the recent escalation.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy corridor through which a significant share of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas exports passes, making security in the waterway a key concern for international markets.