DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States launched a fresh wave of military strikes against Iran on Monday, just hours after President Donald Trump announced that Washington is reimposing a blockade on Iran and — in what appears to be a major reversal in policy — plans to charge vessels for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The announcements come as Iran has claimed it holds control over the vital waterway, and as the renewed fighting raised fears of a return to full-scale war between the two nations.
U.S. Central Command confirmed on social media that American forces had launched the new round of strikes against Iran.
“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the U.S. military stated.
Shortly after the military’s announcement, Trump described the action as “another major attack.”
“We’re hitting them very hard. And it’ll continue, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office. “We’re knocking out all of their offensive capability and we’re controlling the straits. We’re putting the blockade back.”
Trump also elaborated on the administration’s apparent change of direction regarding tolls for ships passing through the strait — a stance that contradicts what the U.S. had previously said it would not do.
“We’re protecting a very rich portion of the world,” Trump said. “We’re spending money. And so, what we’ve done is, we are going to be reimbursed for protection.”
Until now, U.S. policy held that the strait should remain freely open to all shipping without fees — a standard that had been in place before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28. Experts say any attempt by either the U.S. or Iran to impose passage fees would violate international norms on freedom of navigation and could trigger broader economic disruption well beyond the Middle East region.
Global oil markets reacted sharply to the news. The price of Brent crude oil — the international benchmark — jumped 7.8% to $81.92 per barrel on Monday, though that figure remains well below the nearly $120 per barrel reached at the peak of the conflict.
Trump Says Iran Failed a Test
Earlier in the day, Trump spoke with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, saying the agreement reached last month was “built to test” Iran, and adding that “when you’re dealing with sleazebags” agreements “don’t mean much.”
Trump said he had questioned why the U.S. was pursuing a ceasefire deal rather than working toward a comprehensive agreement first. Last week, he declared that ceasefire “over.”
“They didn’t honor the test,” Trump said.
Recent exchanges of fire, triggered by Iranian attacks on ships, had already cast serious doubt on the interim peace arrangement. As part of that deal, Washington had lifted a blockade it originally put in place in mid-April, and the agreement had called for the strait to be fully reopened to all vessels.
“We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE,” Trump wrote on social media. “All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait.”
Trump said the U.S. would be “reimbursed” an amount equal to 20% of the value of cargo passing through, intended to offset “any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security.”
The U.S. military announced that the blockade of Iranian ports will resume Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern time.
