President Trump declared on Monday that the United States will assume control of the Strait of Hormuz, positioning the U.S. as the "guardian angel" of the passage and indicating it would seek reimbursement for its security role.
"We're taking over the strait. They have nothing. They've got nothing," Trump told "Fox & Friends," responding to Iranian claims of having closed the critical waterway. He added, "So we're just going to hit them very hard, and we're going to, we're going to keep the strait, and we'll probably run it."
Trump elaborated on his vision for the U.S. role, stating, "We'll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we'll call it the guardian angel of the strait, and we should be reimbursed for that… We guarded it for nothing, and now we're going to guard it — we're going to get paid for guarding it."
His remarks followed a new round of airstrikes against Iran overnight. Prior to Operation Epic Fury on February 28, nearly a fifth of the world's seaborne oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz annually.
The White House had previously brokered an extended cease-fire with Iran in early April, which was followed by a preliminary peace deal known as a memorandum of understanding last month. However, the agreement has reportedly unraveled due to disagreements over the status of the strait.