The United States will restart its naval blockade of Iran from the morning of July 15. President Trump declared the US would collect a 20% 'security charge' on all cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz and announced a coming address to the nation. Over the weekend, US forces used unmanned surface vessels in combat for the first time ever, striking Iran's Bandar Abbas naval base — a full reignition, three months on, of a conflict calmed by the April ceasefire.
The blockade resumes Wednesday morning, the Chosun Ilbo reported, with Trump set to address the nation. The blockade had been lifted barely a month ago under a mid-June memorandum of understanding ending hostilities.
광고 문의 · 300×250'America will from now on be called the Guardian of the Strait of Hormuz,' Trump said, adding the US 'will be reimbursed 20% of all cargo shipped' as the price of providing security in 'the world's most unstable region.' Iranian vessels are barred from the strait outright.
A clock rewound in three months
The two sides entered a ceasefire on April 8, and a mid-June MOU lifted the blockade and allowed limited Iranian oil exports. But on July 7 Washington abruptly revoked Iran's oil-sales license, and Trump declared the ceasefire over. Failed talks and military action have followed in quick succession.
US Central Command said it struck dozens of military targets inside Iran on Sunday. The United Daily News highlighted the first-ever attack footage of the sea drones released by the US military.
Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels were committed to combat for the first time, hitting a submarine and ship maintenance facility at Bandar Abbas near the mouth of the strait. A Ghadir-class midget submarine suspended from a gantry crane was reportedly among the targets.
The 24-foot Corsair ranges over 1,000 nautical miles, carries about 1,000 pounds of payload and runs at 35 knots. The US Navy began fielding it in the Middle East in late March.
A 20% 'toll' and international law
Under the law of the sea, transit passage through straits used for international navigation is guaranteed to all vessels, and charging tolls merely for passage is widely held to be impermissible. How the 20% levy would take legal form — and whether allied carriers would be exempt — is now hotly disputed. Critics note Trump's position has shifted four times in three months.
Iran pushed back hard. After Trump claimed Iran had 'signed an agreement giving up nuclear weapons,' Tehran dismissed the assertion as 'completely untrue,' the United Daily News reported.
Direct stakes for Korea, China and Taiwan
About a fifth of the world's oil passes through Hormuz. Korea, heavily dependent on Middle East crude; China, the largest buyer of Iranian oil; and Taiwan, which imports nearly all its energy, all sit squarely in the path of rising oil prices, freight rates and insurance premiums. Asian markets swung sharply on war fears after the announcement.
A third perspective
Washington speaks of the price of security, but many in Europe and Asia worry that monetizing safety on the high seas sets a precedent that erodes international norms — even as some in the US argue beneficiary nations should share the cost of safe navigation. For Chinese trading and logistics businesses, the immediate task is practical: check freight surcharges and insurance terms on Middle East routes from the 15th.
