On July 13, 2026, President Donald Trump said the United States could protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a charge equal to 20% of the cargo moving through the waterway, according to CNN. The proposal connected a security service sought by shipping companies with a substantial fee on goods using the route.
CNN described the Strait of Hormuz as a critical trade corridor controlled by Iran. Shipping companies had been seeking greater protection for vessels to cross it safely since the US-Israeli war with Iran began, the network reported. Trump’s proposal presented US protection as an answer to those requests, but made that protection conditional on payment.
Khaleej Times characterized the announcement more broadly, reporting that Trump planned to impose 20% fees on all cargo ships in Hormuz and reimpose an Iranian blockade. Its account therefore placed the fee alongside a separate measure directed at Iran, while CNN focused on the proposed exchange of US protection for a percentage of cargo value.
A charge following calls for protection
The available accounts describe the 20% figure in slightly different terms. CNN said it would apply to cargo moving through the strait in return for US protection. Khaleej Times referred to fees on all cargo ships. Neither available excerpt gives operational details about how cargo would be valued, how payment would be collected, which vessels would receive protection, or how the arrangement would be administered.
The announcement also followed an earlier statement by Marco Rubio concerning charges on international waterways. Less than a month before Trump’s proposal, Rubio had said that “no country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway,” according to Khaleej Times. The excerpt does not provide further explanation of Rubio’s remark or state whether it addressed a US protection charge of the kind Trump later proposed.
That timing creates a clear contrast within the cited reporting: Rubio rejected the ability of any country to levy tolls or fees on an international waterway, while Trump subsequently proposed a 20% payment linked to American protection in the Strait of Hormuz. The evidence does not establish how the administration reconciled those positions.
The reports also connect the proposal to the wider conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. CNN said demand for safer passage arose after that war began, while Khaleej Times reported that Trump’s announcement included the return of an Iranian blockade. Beyond those descriptions, the excerpts do not specify the blockade’s intended scope, duration or enforcement arrangements.
Taken together, the accounts show Trump proposing a paid US security role at a strategically important waterway during a conflict with Iran. They also leave unresolved whether the 20% charge was intended for every cargo ship, only vessels accepting US protection, or cargo covered by another arrangement.
