U.S. Re-imposes Maritime Blockade, Demands 20% 'Transit Fee' on Ships: Trump's Explosive Remarks Spark Controversy

[Anchor]

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the resumption of a maritime blockade against Iran, declaring that vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz will be charged a transit fee equal to 20% of their cargo value. This bombshell announcement, which effectively scraps the previous memorandum of understanding and signals that the U.S. intends to collect transit fees instead of Iran, is causing significant repercussions.

First, here is reporter Gwak Sang-eun.

[Reporter]

On July 13, local time, U.S. President Donald Trump declared the resumption of a maritime blockade targeting Iran.

He intends to tighten the financial grip on the Iranian regime by reinstating the maritime blockade that had been lifted following the signing of a memorandum of understanding on June 17.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President: No ship that trades with Iran can pass through. Ships from other countries can pass. It is a powerful maritime blockade.]

The U.S. military has announced that the blockade will resume effective 5:00 a.m. on July 15, Korea Standard Time.

With armed clashes occurring over the Strait of Hormuz, the 60-day ceasefire agreement has been broken. With the resumption of sanctions on oil exports and the maritime blockade, the confrontation between the two sides has returned to the situation that existed before the memorandum of understanding was signed.

Trump dismissed concerns, stating that the memorandum was merely intended to test Iran.

Trump also announced that he would impose a fee equal to 20% of the cargo value on civilian vessels passing through the strait, labeling it a security guarantee cost.

He pointed to Middle Eastern oil-producing nations as the countries that should pay.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President: We are protecting the wealthiest region in the world. Since we are spending money to do this, we should now be compensated.]

The U.S. had previously strongly criticized Iran's attempts to impose transit fees.

[Marco Rubio / U.S. Secretary of State (June 24): The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway. No country can impose transit fees or usage charges on an international waterway.]

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has expressed its firm opposition, stating that Trump's declaration to impose transit fees has no legal basis.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated, "20% is too much; Iran will be fair," using Trump's remarks as a justification to legitimize Iran's own collection of transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz.

(Video Editing: Park Chun-bae, Design: Choi Ha-neul)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.