The June MOU breaks in public
On July 13, President Donald Trump said the United States would restart its naval blockade of Iran and “become the guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported from his Fox News interview and Truth Social posts. The announcement came as Washington and Tehran traded attacks that threatened what remained of the mid-June memorandum of understanding.
“We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving,” Trump wrote. The US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center later said the blockade would begin at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday.
Trump added that the United States would, “as a matter of FAIRNESS, 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.” He said the process would begin immediately.
IMO and earlier US law line both reject tolls
The International Maritime Organization opposed mandatory fees to cross the strait. “IMO stands firmly against charging fees for passage through straits used for international navigation,” the agency said. “There is no legal basis through which to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait.”
The position undercut not only Trump’s new claim but also earlier Iranian fee ideas. In June, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said no country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway under existing international law, responding then to the possibility of Iranian charges.
Why this ends the MOU’s main maritime bargain
The June 14-point memorandum had committed the United States to begin removing its naval blockade immediately and end it within 30 days, while Iran facilitated no-charge commercial passage for 60 days and demining within 30 days. Reimposing the blockade and asserting a US guardianship toll reversed both pillars at once.
Al Jazeera noted that nuclear issues, frozen assets, and permanent strait administration were already left for the 60-day second phase. The maritime relapse meant even the easier first-phase promises were gone.
Iranian rejection and regional warning
Iran has repeatedly rejected US control of the strait. On July 13, a spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran’s joint military command, said Tehran would not under any circumstances allow the United States to interfere in Hormuz management.
The command said Iranian forces would respond to any disruption of commercial vessels and oil tankers by US forces outside Iran’s designated shipping route and without Iranian authorization. It also warned regional leaders that cooperation or logistical support for such US operations would be regarded as an act of war against Iranian sovereignty and national security.
Kinetic backdrop
The announcement landed in a week of renewed exchanges. Iran said it struck US military sites in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan. US forces were reported targeting port cities along Iran’s coast. Oil prices jumped on the shipping risk, according to contemporaneous market headlines in the same coverage cluster.
Trump also renewed threats against Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, known as Pickaxe Mountain, an underground site near Natanz. Iran denied the site would be used for enrichment. Experts have warned the complex may be too deep for easy destruction. That nuclear threat track continues in later July reporting.
Why July 13 is a must-write
If June 17 is the paper peace, July 13 is the public undoing of its maritime core. Everything after this date (renewed strike waves, tanker interdictions under blockade, August fee/route talks) grows out of this reversal.
Sources
- Al Jazeera, July 13, 2026: Trump blockade and guardian/toll language; JMIC start time; IMO statement; Rubio June anti-toll line; Iranian joint command warning; attack backdrop
- Cross-check: June 17 MOU terms (PBS official paragraphs) on 30-day blockade end and 60-day no-charge passage
- Context: July 7 Reuters/gCaptain ship attacks that preceded the policy shift
