Trump Backs Down on 'Hormuz Protection Compensation' Fees

US President Donald Trump announced that he is backing down from imposing a 20% compensation fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that the naval blockade will be limited to ships heading to and from Iranian ports, or carrying shipments linked to Iran.

"Oil is flowing like never before thanks to the strength of the U.S. military," Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that "the Strait of Hormuz has become open to the movement of all ships except Iran, because of its false leadership leading its country on the path of mass destruction."

"Therefore, we will impose a complete blockade, but only on ships coming from and going to Iranian ports, or those carrying goods linked to Iran," he said.

Trump trades 20% for Gulf investments

Trump stated that, based on "fruitful" talks  with leaders of countries in the Middle East, he decided to "replace the 20 percent U.S. protection and compensation tariffs, which he himself estimated, in favor of the United States, with trade deals and investments that the Gulf states will make in the United States," adding that these investments will be huge, but at the same time "will be of exceptional benefit to their future," referring to the Gulf states.

"We have the largest dollar investment in the United States in history, but these investments will make the number even bigger, and we will see an increase in factories, facilities, and equipment at historic levels, which will create millions of high-paying additional jobs," Trump said.America is winning again, like never before."

"Iran's days of killing hundreds of thousands of people, including 52,000 protesters, are over, and most importantly, it will never have a nuclear weapon," he concluded.

On Monday, Trump announced the re-imposition of the naval blockade on Iran, and the imposition of US protection on the Strait of Hormuz by charging a fee of 20% of the value of goods carried by ships passing through the strait, calling the mission "Strait Protection Compensation", to cover the costs needed to provide security and safety for navigation, which was met with a wave of global criticism.

Russia: Washington is practicing "codified piracy"

The past two days have witnessed  a wave of international anger after Trump announced his intention to impose customs duties and a transit tax of up to 20% under the name of "Hormuz Protection Compensation", in a move described as economic bullying and a flagrant violation of global trade freedom and international navigation rules.

Major capitals considered that Washington is trying to turn one of the most important international sea lanes into a collection platform by force, in direct defiance of UN maritime law, where  the Chinese Foreign Ministry described the US proposal as "dangerous unilateral practices that torpedo international maritime law", stressing that imposing a 20% tax would cause paralysis imposed by global supply chains and energy stores on which Asian countries depend, reiterating its categorical refusal to join any US maritime alliance.

 The  Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Trump's proposals to impose tariffs on international sea crossings represent "piracy and sniffing," and Russia, in coordination with China, led a move in the Security Council, in the past, in which it used its veto power to abort a US draft resolution that was aimed at granting Washington a mandate to manage navigation in the Gulf.

Brazilian president accuses Trump of piracy

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Monday that the United States would act like "pirates" if it taxed ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, as proposed by Trump.

"In the past, it was considered piracy," Lula said at a public event in São Caetano do Sul, in São Paulo state.

"The United States is an important country, and I think it has fought piracy for a long time, and today it cannot act like a hacker," he said.

Iran's Foreign Ministry and the Revolutionary Guards leadership called Trump's remarks "public blackmail and unfounded international bullying."

Tehran stressed that the security of the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz is the exclusive and legitimate responsibility of the countries bordering it (Iran and the Sultanate of Oman), promising to continue closing the strait and preventing the passage of any military units that try to impose this levy.