Trump says US is ‘reinstating’ a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and will charge ships for safe passage

WASHINGTON (AP) - Trump says US is 'reinstating' a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and will charge ships for safe passage. U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Iranian ships will no longer be able to travel through the Strait of Hormuz and America would charge a 20% toll on other countries' eligible cargo, escalating tensions after weekend of attacks by both nations to assert control of the critical waterway.

The International Maritime Organization, the United Nations agency which oversees safety and security measures in international shipping, said the group was waiting to find out more about Trump's proposal but said its stance on tolls remains unchanged.

"We have always been consistent on its stance on fees - IMO stands firmly against charging fees for passage through straits used for international navigation. There is no legal basis through which to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait," the organization said in a statement.

Trump's announcement comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Gulf leaders late last month and said the U.S. would not support Iran charging fees for ships to go through the Strait of Hormuz.

"That's international waterway. There isn't a nation on Earth that supports having to pay money to go through the Straits," Rubio told reporters in Bahrain on June 25.

Rubio also said there was "zero support among the Gulf countries for any sort of toll or fees or anything that charges for the use of international waters. The president's made it clear that's not going to happen. It's not going to be a part of this. It cannot be a part of this."