Trump says US will become guardian of Strait of Hormuz, seeks compensation

U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the United States will become the 'guardian' of the Strait of Hormuz and demanded compensation for protecting the strategic waterway, amid an escalating military confrontation with Iran. In a phone interview with Fox News, Trump stated: 'We will become the guardian of the strait [...] And we should be compensated for that' Source: portafolioco. He argued that other nations benefiting from the strait's traffic are 'very rich' and should not expect the U.S. to provide security for free Source: portafolioco.

Iran's response and diplomatic efforts

Iran, in turn, has closed the strait until further notice and launched missiles and drones against neighboring Gulf states, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, and the UAE Source: diariolibree. However, Tehran also indicated it remains open to diplomacy. Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqai stated that Iran is in contact with mediators Qatar, Oman, and Pakistan to 'avoid an escalation' Source: diariolibree.

Military escalation

Over the past few days, the U.S. has conducted multiple airstrikes against Iranian targets, including missile and drone installations, naval capabilities, ammunition depots, and coastal surveillance posts Source: portafolioco. The latest wave of bombings began Sunday at 21:00 GMT Source: diariolibree. Trump claimed that Iran had broken a previous ceasefire agreement, vowing to 'hit them very hard' Source: portafolioco.