Tehran / Anadolu

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded sarcastically to US President Donald Trump's announcement of imposing a 20 percent transit fee on all shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz, saying that whoever secures the Strait of Hormuz deserves compensation.

This came in a post on the American company X platform on Monday, in which he addressed Trump's statements regarding the Strait of Hormuz.

Araghchi said: 'The US president is absolutely right. Whoever ensures the safe passage of commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz should charge for this service.'

He added that 'Iran is the guardian of the Strait of Hormuz and will remain so forever,' before mocking Trump's statements, saying: '20% is of course a very high rate... we will be fair.'

Trump had announced the re-imposition of the US naval blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, and the imposition of a 20 percent transit fee on all shipments crossing the strait.

For days, the United States has been launching attacks on Iran under the pretext of responding to Tehran's targeting of commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran responds by bombing what it says are US military facilities in Arab countries, while some of those countries have announced that Iranian attacks resulted in civilian casualties and damaged civilian facilities.

The Strait of Hormuz region is witnessing security tensions against the backdrop of the war that the United States and Israel launched against Iran on February 28, 2026.

Washington and Tehran had previously signed a memorandum of understanding in June 2026 that included a ceasefire, following Qatari and Pakistani mediation, in preparation for reaching a final agreement to end the war, before Trump announced on July 8 of this month the end of the ceasefire due to renewed escalation.