Conflict in Gulf reignites, with strikes, U.S. blockade on Iranian ports

President Trump on Monday decided to reimpose a blockade on Iranian ships and take control of the Strait of Hormuz, moving the countries closer to all-out war a month after the sides negotiated a path to peace.

Mr. Trump, who wants to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, proposed the U.S. takeover after losing patience with Iranian fighters who waffled on negotiations and fired on commercial vessels.

“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran,” Mr. Trump said on social media. “We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait.”

Mr. Trump is effectively reimposing a maritime blockade that squeezed the Iranian regime earlier this year. Notably, he said foreign ships using the strait should pay the U.S. at a rate of 20% of all cargo shipped.

“We’ll become the guardian of the strait,” he said on the “Fox and Friends” program. “We should be reimbursed for that.”

The strait was open to commercial traffic before Mr. Trump, in coordination with Israel, launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28 to prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Iran clamped down on the strait in retaliation, causing energy shortfalls and price shocks.

Mr. Trump’s push to charge fees conflicts with comments from administration officials who said charging tolls is anathema to international rules.

“It’s an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month.”That’s existing international law.”

The International Maritime Organization on Monday “reaffirmed that passage through the Strait [of Hormuz] should remain free of any tolls and charges.”

Mr. Trump’s crackdown is a marked departure from the mid-June memorandum of understanding that U.S. and Iranian leaders struck to pause fighting and negotiate a final-stage peace deal.

Tit-for-tat strikes between Iran and U.S. forces have eroded recent progress in reopening the Strait of Hormuz and knocked peace talks off course.

Mr. Trump formally notified Congress on Monday that fighting with Iran had restarted, a move that will inflame Democratic criticism that he is waging war unlawfully and that Capitol Hill must step in.

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Iran lashed out at American partners in the Persian Gulf region on Monday. Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain reported incoming missiles that had to be intercepted.

The upheaval impacted markets. Brent crude prices rose to $80 per barrel after spending much of last week closer to $70, and U.S. stock indexes were all in negative territory.

The average U.S. gas price stood at $3.87 per gallon on Monday, a 7-cent increase from a week ago and up from around $3 per gallon when the war began on Feb. 28, according to the AAA motor club.

Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee on Monday said Americans have spent an aggregate of over $56 billion more, or $447 per household, on gas than they would have if Mr. Trump had not started his war with Iran.

“As President Trump declares that he’s ended his ceasefire with Iran, gas costs have already started rising again, at a time when Americans continue to face the squeeze of higher costs overall from Trump’s war, tariffs, and other actions,” Sen. Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire Democrat, said.

Mr. Trump insists the U.S. has the upper hand through its military might and will win the conflict with Tehran, one way or another.

“They’re not pushing us around. We’re pushing them around,” Mr. Trump said at a White House event on Monday.

Elsewhere, the U.S. military said it used precise munitions to hit dozens of targets in Iran late Sunday, degrading Tehran’s ability to attack international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Central Command said it struck Iranian military air-defense systems and coastal radar sites, plus missile and drone capabilities.

Unmanned surface vessels struck the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Bas. It was the first time American forces used sea drones in combat operations, according to the command.

“The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global trade. Iran does not control it,” CENTCOM said.

Tehran says it must maintain some control over the waterway.

“Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service. Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER,” Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on social media. “20% is, of course, too much. We will be fair.”