Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the US will take trade and investment deals with the Gulf states instead of the 20 percent levy he previously proposed for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20 percent United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States,” he stated in a post to Truth Social.
This comes only a day after Trump announced the introduction of the fee, writing on the social media platform that “we are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE”, and declaring that the US will be “reimbursed” for its job as the “GUARDIAN OF THE STRAIT”.
“We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving… The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as “THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,”” – President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/9iKOWCPq06
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 13, 2026
