President Donald Trump is changing course on seeking a 20 percent reimbursement toll in the Strait of Hormuz after a conversation with Middle Eastern allies, he announced on Tuesday.
“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,” he posted to Truth Social.
On Monday, Trump posted that “as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20 percent 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."
In the Oval Office on Tuesday, while meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, he said he had heard from leaders of other nations who preferred an investment approach instead.
"The Gulf States are going to invest a tremendous amount of money into the United States, and that was very satisfactory to me. I think it's actually much better,” Trump added.
.@POTUS: "The Gulf States are going to invest a tremendous amount of money into the United States, and that was very satisfactory to me. I think it's actually much better." https://t.co/gSgGloeM4A pic.twitter.com/Wm0IRreSOS
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 14, 2026
In recent days, the United States has conducted strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran, as the country kept striking cargo ships in the Strait.
At 4:45 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the Commander in Chief's direction. These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 13, 2026
“During the five-hour mission, U.S. forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement on the latest operation on Monday night. “CENTCOM forces employed precision munitions against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities.”
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