U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday backtracked on plans to charge ships for using the Strait of Hormuz, saying Gulf countries would instead invest in the United States.
On Monday, Trump said the U.S. would reimpose a blockade on Iranian ports and begin charging ships fees equivalent to 20 percent of their cargo to defray the costs of securing the strait. He backed off on the fees a day later, while the blockade is set to come back into force in the coming hours.
“Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States,” Trump said on social media.
The president said the investments “will be MASSIVE,” though it’s unclear if these would be new commitments relative to what Trump announced after a visit last year to the Middle East.
Strikes and Counterstrikes Resume Across the Mideast
The U.S. military’s Central Command said it struck several areas in Iran, targeting “coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites and maritime capabilities.” Iran acknowledged the strikes but provided no immediate casualty or damage assessments.“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 said.
Iran responded with attacks targeting Bahrain, Jordan, and three tankers that traveled through the strait. Kuwait's military said it was responding to an aerial attack without providing further details.
Two of the ships were associated with the United Arab Emirates and were set ablaze for a time. The International Maritime Organization said the attack on the tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah killed two mariners and wounded 14 others. The Emirates threatened to retaliate.