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Lula: Trump Plans to Impose Hormuz Shipping Fees Will Turn US Into ‘Pirate State’

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (EPA) 
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (EPA) 
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Lula: Trump Plans to Impose Hormuz Shipping Fees Will Turn US Into ‘Pirate State’

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (EPA) 
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (EPA) 

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Monday that plans by US President Donald Trump to impose hefty fees on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz would turn the United States into a “pirate” state.

In a post on Truth Social earlier, Trump said he will impose a 20% levy on all cargo shipped through the waterway.

Speaking at a public event in Sao Paulo state, Lula said: “A major nation like the United States, which I believe has fought against piracy for a long time, cannot now become a pirate,” according to AFP.

For his part, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has posted a reaction to Trump's announcement that the US will impose a charge on cargo passing through the Strait.

Araghchi wrote, “The US President is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service. Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair.”

On Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he would reinstate a blockade of Iran's ports on the Strait of Hormuz and impose a 20% levy on all cargo shipped through the waterway, saying the revenue would help pay for keeping the strategic shipping route open.

“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating the IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving,” Trump said.

He added that the “US will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo ships, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the world.”

The US President said the process would begin immediately but did not elaborate.

Trump floated the idea earlier in a phone ⁠interview on Fox News' “Fox & Friends” program, saying the US would probably take over the strait and should be reimbursed.

“We're going to keep the strait, and we'll probably run it. 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,” he told the “Fox & Friends” program.

Control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil supplies, has become one of the main battlegrounds of the conflict. Iran's effective blockade of the strait has pushed up energy prices and increased concerns about inflation globally.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement on Monday that the only way to restore regular shipping traffic through the strait was to end US military interventions in the waterway, and warned that “continued interference could lead to greater incidents in the global oil and ⁠gas sector.”

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World

North Korea Urges ‘Maximum Vigilance’ as Typhoon Bavi Approaches

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the second plenary meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released June 23, 2026, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the second plenary meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released June 23, 2026, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
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North Korea Urges ‘Maximum Vigilance’ as Typhoon Bavi Approaches

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the second plenary meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released June 23, 2026, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the second plenary meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released June 23, 2026, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)

North Korea warned of heavy rain and strong winds on Tuesday as Typhoon Bavi drew near, with leader Kim Jong Un urging "maximum vigilance" to prevent damage.

Natural disasters tend to have an outsized impact on isolated North Korea due to its weak infrastructure and economy.

The typhoon is expected to weaken into a low-pressure system before crossing the country's central region via the Yellow Sea between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Pyongyang's state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper.

The country's weather agency issued warnings for heavy rainfall and strong winds, the paper said.

All officials and workers are "urged to remain on maximum vigilance and take steps to minimize damage," Kim was quoted as saying.

Rodong said rainfall of 80-120 millimeters (3.1-4.7 inches), with downpours of 30-60 millimeters per hour, is forecast on Tuesday across parts of the country's northern and central regions.

The southern regions, among others, are set for 150-200 millimeters of rain, as well as winds of 10-15 meters per second along the west coast and in some inland areas.

North Korea has stepped up disaster prevention efforts, the Korean Central News Agency reported last week.

Heavy rain also battered South Korea recently, dumping up to 200 millimeters in some areas.

Hundreds of residents in the central Chungcheong province evacuated the area or were stranded by flooding.

A man in his 70s was reported missing after being swept away by a swollen river in the southern region of Gyeongsang, according to broadcaster KBS.

Seoul's weather agency forecast rain across the country from Tuesday through Wednesday, with heavy downpours expected in central regions and the southern province of Jeolla.

Scientists say human-driven climate change is making extreme weather more frequent, prolonged and intense.

Last summer was South Korea's hottest on record, and both Koreas recorded their warmest June.

This year's return of El Nino, a natural Pacific warming pattern linked to heat, drought and heavy rain across parts of Asia, has added to the risks.

North Korea also suffers chronic power shortages, and experts say most residents lack air conditioning.

The impoverished country was hit by severe flooding in its northern regions in 2024, with South Korean media reporting that as many as 1,500 people could be dead or missing -- estimates Pyongyang dismissed at the time.

World

Peace in Ukraine Unlikely to Be Reached Soon, Polish PM Says

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks upon arrival at the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, 08 July 2026. (EPA)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks upon arrival at the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, 08 July 2026. (EPA)
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Peace in Ukraine Unlikely to Be Reached Soon, Polish PM Says

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks upon arrival at the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, 08 July 2026. (EPA)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks upon arrival at the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye, 08 July 2026. (EPA)

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday it seemed very unlikely that peace in Ukraine would be reached soon and he expected Russia to extend the conflict at least until the winter.

He said he had discussed the situation ‌with NATO Secretary-General ‌Mark Rutte and Ukrainian ‌President ⁠Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

"At this point, ⁠it seems unlikely that a ceasefire or peace agreement will be reached in the near future, given the rigid stance of Russia and Putin," Tusk told ⁠journalists in Paris.

"Everyone expects ‌an escalation ‌of actions from Russia at this time, and ‌it's quite likely that Russia ‌will want to prolong this war at least until the winter."

Tusk said Poland would host military exercises with ‌French and British troops in the autumn so that they ⁠can ⁠be prepared to ensure security for Ukraine and the region after a peace agreement or ceasefire is eventually reached.

"These will be exercises that prepare the entire coalition (of the willing) gathered today in Paris for such real security guarantees for Ukraine, but also for the region," he said.

World

Workers at an Ebola Treatment Center in Congo Strike Over Unpaid Salaries and Bonuses

A tire burns outside the Ebola Treatment Center at Rwampara General Hospital during a strike by medical staff in Rwampara, Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo, 13 July 2026. (EPA)
A tire burns outside the Ebola Treatment Center at Rwampara General Hospital during a strike by medical staff in Rwampara, Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo, 13 July 2026. (EPA)
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Workers at an Ebola Treatment Center in Congo Strike Over Unpaid Salaries and Bonuses

A tire burns outside the Ebola Treatment Center at Rwampara General Hospital during a strike by medical staff in Rwampara, Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo, 13 July 2026. (EPA)
A tire burns outside the Ebola Treatment Center at Rwampara General Hospital during a strike by medical staff in Rwampara, Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo, 13 July 2026. (EPA)

Dozens of people working at an Ebola virus treatment center in northeast Congo went on strike Monday over unpaid salaries and bonuses, posing a new challenge for the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded on the continent.

Congo since May has been battling the outbreak of a type of Ebola with no approved treatment or vaccine. Last week, the Congolese health minister, Roger Kamba, said the virus had spread to two more provinces.

The striking staff at Rwampara General Hospital in Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, includes epidemiologists, case investigators, drivers and gravediggers who say they have not been paid by Congolese authorities.

The protesting staff shut the hospital and blocked the road leading to it, even burning a tire outside.

“We don’t know how it is possible to not have been paid for two months,” Bahati Claude, a health worker at the hospital told The Associated Press. “We don’t want to give up the job.”

The treatment center is different from the one in Ituri where a study of two badly needed treatments began earlier this month.

Congolese authorities declared the Ebola outbreak on May 15, after the disease had been transmitting for weeks without official detection, according to the World Health Organization.

The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, and the delay in confirming the outbreak came in part because tests were done for a more common type of Ebola.

During a visit to Ituri last week, Congo's health minister said the government is verifying a list of those working to control the outbreak, as some unrelated names have been added to the payroll.

“We must ensure that these payments reach the right people,” Kamba said. “We have faced a few challenges, notably changes to the lists, which have led to complaints from people saying they are not being paid even though they are working. We have the means to sort this out.”

There are 1,926 confirmed cases in the country, including 702 deaths, according to Congolese authorities.

Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted Monday on X that a second US citizen, a humanitarian worker in eastern Congo who had contracted Ebola, was transferred to Germany.

The first American to test positive for the virus was a doctor working in Congo during the early weeks of the outbreak.