US President Donald Trump has abandoned the idea of charging a 20% fee on vessels wishing to cross the Strait of Hormuz under US protection. Through his social media, Trump said on Tuesday (14) that, instead of charging tariffs, his country will, in return, offer new trade and investment agreements with countries in the region, according to a note from "Agência Brasil". He, however, reaffirmed that he will continue with the idea of maintaining a "complete blockade" for vessels originating from or destined for Iranian ports. "Based on highly productive conversations with the leadership of the Middle East, I have decided to replace the 20% US rebate fee with trade and investment agreements that the various Gulf States will be developing in the United States," Trump said via Truth Social. “As everyone knows, we have the largest investment in dollars in the United States of any country in history, but these new investments will make that number even larger, and we will see factories, plants, and equipment being installed in the United States at historic levels, which will create millions of additional high-paying American jobs,” he added.
Strategic region
On Monday (13), Trump said that the US would take control of the Strait of Hormuz and that the security of vessels would be the responsibility of its military forces. He then announced that he would charge a 20% reimbursement on the cargo transported by vessels transiting the region. Control of the Strait of Hormuz is strategic, as it is a vital route for the global supply of oil – which is why it has become one of the main battlegrounds in the conflict between the US and Iran. "We will be reimbursed, because the other nations are very rich. They are on our side and we cannot expect to do this for free," argued the US president.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.