“I want to be reimbursed”: Trump demands several Persian Gulf countries pay the U.S. for protecting the Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump stated on Monday that several of the wealthiest nations in the Persian Gulf should compensate the United States for protecting commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that his administration has borne the cost of safeguarding one of the world's most important maritime routes amid the military conflict with Iran. "Yeah, I want to be reimbursed because we’re protecting a very rich portion of the world, we’re spending money, and so what we’ve done is we are going to be reimbursed for protection," said Trump, who specified that the countries that should make the contribution are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

The Republican president also noted that, far from being the only nations that should provide compensation, others could join them in the near future. Similarly, Trump argued that the United States has sufficient energy capacity to avoid economic dependence on those countries. "We don't need them because we have more oil than any other country in the world. We're protecting them all, and we've done a very effective job," he said.

Trump's remarks came after he ordered the reinstatement of the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, hours before U.S. forces launched their third consecutive night of attacks against Iran. According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the new round of airstrikes began at 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time, on the direct orders of the Republican president. "These strikes will continue to impose a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," the military agency stated.

Earlier, Trump announced on his Truth Social account that the naval blockade was back in effect and that the United States would charge a 20% fee on all cargo passing through the strait "as a matter of FAIRNESS," asserting that "All other countries will have fair and open access to the Strait."