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Trump Declares Iran Blockade Back, Says US Will Charge Hormuz Fees

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam,Oman, July 12, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam,Oman, July 12, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
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Trump Declares Iran Blockade Back, Says US Will Charge Hormuz Fees

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam,Oman, July 12, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam,Oman, July 12, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

President Donald Trump declared the return of a US naval blockade on Iranian ports on Monday, saying Washington would impose hefty fees on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz as fighting once again flared over the vital waterway. 

Iran's military command, however, insisted it would not allow the US to "interfere" in the key conduit for oil and gas. 

The competing claims came as the two sides traded attacks of a scale unseen since an April ceasefire. The US military said it hit dozens of targets on Monday, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced new strikes in response on Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Oman. 

The Strait of Hormuz was not an issue before the United States and Israel began their war with Iran in February, and passage through it was free, but Tehran subsequently blocked the waterway and now sees it as essential leverage over Washington. 

The US has vehemently opposed Tehran's desire to charge tolls in the strait, which international law generally forbids, but on Monday, Trump flipped the script and declared that Washington itself would collect fees. 

In a post on his Truth Social site, Trump declared that the US would be "known as 'THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT'," and "be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World". 

While Iran's ports would again be blockaded, he said, "all other countries will have fair and open use of the strait". 

The spokesman for Iran's Khatam Al-Anbiya military command, however, insisted that Tehran "under no circumstances will allow... the United States to interfere in the management" of the strategic waterway. 

- 'In crisis' - 

Despite last week declaring the ceasefire with Iran over, Trump has said negotiations aimed at finding a permanent settlement would continue. 

He told Fox News that there were hours of talks on Sunday, but accused Iranian negotiators of going back on what they had agreed. 

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said earlier on Monday that the June memorandum of understanding that formed the basis for the negotiations and lifted the US blockade was "in crisis". 

The previous blockade, in place from April to June, cut off Iranian oil exports and threatened a damaging shutdown of the industry. 

Baqaei said Iran would ignore its obligations under the deal if the US did the same, but nonetheless added that Tehran was continuing talks with mediators from Qatar, Pakistan and Oman in an effort to prevent further escalation. 

The past week's hostilities have centered on the critical energy trade route, which Iran's Guards say is "closed". 

On Monday, spokesman for the Guards Hossein Mohebi accused the US of endangering global oil and gas supplies by interfering in the strait, saying it "must be held accountable" while insisting on Tehran's sovereignty over Hormuz. 

Amid the fighting, mediators have been trying to salvage a diplomatic resolution to the war. 

Pakistan, a key intermediary in negotiations, expressed "deep concern at escalation in regional tensions", according to its foreign office. 

But analyst Bader Al-Saif said the escalating attacks would merely delay a permanent agreement. 

"Both sides want to end the impasse on their own terms, and they are increasingly finding it difficult to do so. Hence, the return to and increase in the scale of attacks," said Al-Saif, an associate fellow at Chatham House. 

"That only prolongs what will eventually happen: a negotiated settlement." 

- 'Heinous attacks' - 

Iranian state media reported deaths in the latest US strikes, which it said targeted large areas across the south and west. 

At least 25 people have been killed in Iran since hostilities resumed on Wednesday, according to an AFP tally based on Iranian announcements. 

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had struck Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait, state media reported on Monday. 

Air raid alerts sounded in Bahrain, while Kuwait's army said the country's forces were intercepting "hostile aerial targets" on Monday. 

Jordan's army said it had intercepted four Iranian missiles. 

Bahrain's military accused Iran of committing "heinous attacks with missiles and drones that target civilians", adding it had shot down a number of Iranian projectiles Monday morning. 

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World

Landfill Collapse Kills 30 in Guinea

Residents and rescuers use an excavator to search for bodies after a landslide struck the Dar es Salaam dumpsite overnight in Conakry on August 23, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Residents and rescuers use an excavator to search for bodies after a landslide struck the Dar es Salaam dumpsite overnight in Conakry on August 23, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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Landfill Collapse Kills 30 in Guinea

Residents and rescuers use an excavator to search for bodies after a landslide struck the Dar es Salaam dumpsite overnight in Conakry on August 23, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Residents and rescuers use an excavator to search for bodies after a landslide struck the Dar es Salaam dumpsite overnight in Conakry on August 23, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Thirty people died in Guinea's capital Conakry on Sunday when a mound of rubbish in a landfill collapsed before dawn onto neighboring homes following heavy rains, the government said.

Six others were seriously injured in the 2:00 am (0200 GMT) incident in the Bbessia district's Dar-es-salam neighborhood on the capital's outskirts, a government statement said.

Neighborhood leader Lancine Sylla had previously told AFP that he feared a heavy toll.

"We have pulled out 18 bodies that were taken to the morgue," he told AFP.

Guinea's minister for territorial administration Djenabou Toure went to the scene of the accident, where AFP photographers saw excavators take part in a search-and-rescue operation through the collapsed landfill under the gaze of a crowd of onlookers.

In recent days, the government had ordered the expulsion of people and safety measures around the site because of fears of a collapse.

World

French Ambassador to Asharq Al-Awsat: Mohammed bin Salman’s Visit Paves Way for New Phase of Strategic Partnership

Patrick Maisonnave, French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Patrick Maisonnave, French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat).
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French Ambassador to Asharq Al-Awsat: Mohammed bin Salman’s Visit Paves Way for New Phase of Strategic Partnership

Patrick Maisonnave, French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Patrick Maisonnave, French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat).

A senior French official stressed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to France on Sunday means, in short, that Riyadh and Paris are entering a new phase of a genuine strategic partnership. He said the visit will address diplomacy, security, defense, investment, energy, culture, technology, and education.

Patrick Maisonnave, the French ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the momentum is now being further strengthened through the visit of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman to France and the first meeting of the French-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council.

According to Maisonnave, the council is particularly important because it provides a permanent institutional framework for this political ambition, allowing both countries to set priorities, measure progress, and develop long-term cooperation across the main pillars of the relationship.

He added that as the two countries seek to keep pace with profound geopolitical, economic, and technological changes, Mohammed bin Salman’s visit demonstrates a shared determination to move from a very strong bilateral partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

He continued by saying that the readiness of the two leaderships to work together is not limited to bilateral issues, but also extends to regional stability, global challenges, and the major transformations shaping their societies, as the partnership enters a new phase with this visit.

He explained that the transformation Saudi Arabia is undergoing under Vision 2030, together with France’s strengths in sectors such as energy, infrastructure, culture, innovation, artificial intelligence, education, and creative industries, is creating new areas for convergence.

He stressed that the strategic dimension of the partnership lies precisely in this development, moving from a relationship based on strong cooperation to one increasingly grounded in shared objectives, long-term planning, and joint initiatives.

A Convergence Resilient to Challenges

Maisonnave affirmed that Riyadh and Paris have a well-established partnership and mutual trust that enable them to overcome the geopolitical challenges facing the region. He noted that the bilateral convergence translates into close coordination on the region’s most prominent crises.

He added that Paris and Riyadh are working together to support a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians and create the necessary political conditions for lasting peace. The two countries also share an interest in Yemen’s stability and in protecting freedom of navigation and the security of strategic maritime routes.

According to Maisonnave, the two countries support efforts to end the devastating war in Sudan and preserve the country’s unity and institutions. They also support Syria’s sovereignty, unity, and recovery, as well as the establishment of a stronger Lebanese state capable of exercising its authority, while reducing external interference and the influence of non-state armed groups.

He continued by saying that France and Saudi Arabia naturally have their own interests and perspectives, but have developed the ability to engage in frank dialogue, particularly during periods of regional tension and profound international changes. This has enabled the relationship not only to endure, but also to continually reinvent itself.

Ambassador Maisonnave said the distinctive nature of the Saudi-French relationship lies in its rare combination of historical depth, political trust, and a shared ability to look to the future. Over the past century, he explained, the two countries have built a relationship based on mutual respect, continuous dialogue, and, most importantly, strategic autonomy.

He added that the relationship is no longer defined solely by its history or traditional areas of cooperation. Instead, it is increasingly focused on what the two countries can build together over the coming decades. French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Saudi Arabia in December 2024 was a landmark moment that gave new political momentum to bilateral relations.

He attributed the resilience of bilateral relations since their establishment in 1926 to the fact that their strength lies in a century of accumulated trust, sustained political engagement at the highest levels, and a determination to adapt the partnership to each new historical period, despite some turning points along the way.

Maisonnave added that since diplomatic relations were established in 1926, France and Saudi Arabia have steadily expanded the scope of their cooperation. The relationship has accompanied the transformation of the Kingdom itself while responding at the same time to successive regional and international challenges. After 100 years, he said, the relationship is broader and deeper than at any previous stage in its history.

He continued by saying that this continuity is particularly evident today in diplomatic cooperation. At a time when the Middle East is going through one of its most significant periods of transformation, France and Saudi Arabia share a fundamental objective: preventing instability from becoming permanent and restoring the priority of diplomacy, state sovereignty, and international law.

Of particular importance, according to Maisonnave, is that this diplomatic coordination is developing alongside an equally deep economic and societal partnership. France is accompanying the transformation taking place in Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030 in areas ranging from investment and energy to culture, tourism, technology, education, and human capital development.

In his view, this gives the relationship an unprecedented scope, noting that strategic dialogue at the highest political levels is reinforced by growing ties between the two countries’ economies, institutions, and societies.

He also noted that the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations represents more than a commemoration of the past. It symbolizes the transition from one chapter to another in the history of the relationship.

Maisonnave explained that the first 100 years established and laid the foundations for a relationship based on trust. He stressed that the next 100 years must build on this legacy, making France and Saudi Arabia not merely partners in a changing world, but partners in shaping the future.

World

Zelensky Rejects Wartime Elections, Says Would 'Split' Ukraine

(FILES) Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives to attend a meeting with Serbian President at the Palace of Serbia, in Belgrade on August 8, 2026. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP)
(FILES) Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives to attend a meeting with Serbian President at the Palace of Serbia, in Belgrade on August 8, 2026. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP)
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Zelensky Rejects Wartime Elections, Says Would 'Split' Ukraine

(FILES) Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives to attend a meeting with Serbian President at the Palace of Serbia, in Belgrade on August 8, 2026. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP)
(FILES) Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives to attend a meeting with Serbian President at the Palace of Serbia, in Belgrade on August 8, 2026. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP)

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in remarks made public Sunday that it would be too dangerous for Ukraine to hold an election while it fights Russia's invasion, after a call by his former defense minister to organize a vote.

"I believe that in a war like this, elections as such are a huge risk. Elections right now are a tsunami for the country that will split Ukraine," Zelensky said in the comments.

Ukraine has suspended elections under martial law, a measure still widely supported by the population as the country focuses on fighting off Russian forces.

"If we want to destroy the country, then we can move in the direction of elections during these times of war," the 48-year-old leader added.

He held a briefing with a group of journalists including AFP on Saturday, the first in months amid several political crises.

The latest upheaval saw thousands take to the streets after Zelensky fired his defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov.

The ousted Fedorov this week made a surprise call to find a way to organize a vote - but without offering a roadmap, and prompting even some of his supporters to distance themselves from him.

Experts have cited a flurry of obstacles, including how soldiers, millions of Ukrainian refugees and people from occupied territories would vote, as well as disinformation threats from Russia.

Only 15 percent of Ukrainians believe elections should be held before the end of hostilities, according to a poll by the Kyiv Institute of Sociology.

Zelensky made numerous jab at his opponent during the briefing.

"I believe he is going himself -- or is being pushed - toward wrong things," Zelensky said of Fedorov.

The former minister had pushed for reforms but clashed with the military's command and their traditionally stiff approach.

The public initially took his side and pushed for the dismissal of commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky.

Zelensky said people had the right to protest but warned against "disrespectful" attitudes to military people.

"Since when has marketing started to outweigh the people who are giving their lives?" he said.

After a political crisis that had weakened him, Zelensky was able to cast himself as a rampart against division.

"I believe that society and soldiers must not be divided," he said, "We must acknowledge that there is this risk -- that there may be movement in that direction, toward dangerous developments."