President Trump issued a stark warning to Iran on Sunday, threatening severe consequences if Tehran moves to shut down the Strait of Hormuz and suggesting the United States could assume control of the critical oil transit route if a fragile peace arrangement collapses.
The comments came after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, citing Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon. Trump responded by warning that the Islamic Republic could face destruction and floated the idea of the U.S. effectively overseeing the strategic waterway.
“You close it, and you won’t have a country,” Trump said of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst. “You won’t even make it back to your f–king country.”
“We may take over the Strait, if we have to. If they don’t make a deal, we’ll collect tolls,” the president added.
The remarks mark a sharp escalation after a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding appeared to unravel last week amid renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
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That conflict prompted Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, where Tehran has established a toll system it says it intends to enforce after a 60-day peace negotiation period.
Previous reports indicated Iran could seek fees of as much as $2 million per oil tanker to pass through the strait.
A brief pause in tensions over the weekend allowed 67 ships to transit the Strait on Saturday, following 55 crossings on Friday, according to Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
“In terms of oil and oil products—about equal to where we were before the conflict,” Wright told Fox News.
Before the war began, about 20 million barrels of oil sailed through the Strait of Hormuz every day, with more than 130 ships traveling the narrow passage daily.
With global shipping once again thrown into chaos, Trump warned Iran to fall in line and put the responsibility on Tehran to end the fighting in Lebanon.
“Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “If they don’t we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”
