US President Donald Trump has stated that the United States will take\ncontrol of the Strait of Hormuz and should receive payment for its role\nin managing the vital waterway. \u2018We\u2019re going to have the strait, and\nwe\u2019re going to be running it, probably. We\u2019re going to be the guardians\nof the strait. We\u2019re going to call it the guardian angel of the strait,\nand we should be paid for it,\u2019 he said in a telephone interview with Fox\nNews. Trump added, \u2018We\u2019re going to be paid to guard it\u2014paid a lot. We\nhave to be paid, because these other countries are very rich. They\u2019re on\nour side, and we can\u2019t be expected to do it for nothing.\u2019 The countries\nhe referred to are the Gulf kingdoms that use the Strait of Hormuz to\ndistribute their oil, implying they are assisting the US in launching\nattacks on Iran.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Armed Forces General Staff has warned the US against\nattempting any intervention in the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to\nattack parties cooperating with Washington. \u2018We have not and will never\nallow the United States to interfere in the management of the Strait of\nHormuz,\u2019 said Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya\nCentral Headquarters, in a statement broadcast by state broadcaster\nIRIB. Iranian forces will take decisive action against any form of\ndisruption and security threats beyond the routes established by Tehran.\n\u2018Any form of cooperation with the United States and logistical support\nfor the aggressor country\u2019s military will be considered an act of war\nagainst Iran\u2019s sovereignty and national security,\u2019 Zolfaghari said,\nadding that such a war could \u2018engulf the entire region\u2019.<\/p>\n
Tensions involving tit-for-tat strikes between the US military and\nIran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards have escalated in recent days, as both sides\nvie for control of the Strait of Hormuz\u2014a chokepoint through which 20\npercent of oil and gas shipments passed before the outbreak of war in\nFebruary. Iran launched its most massive military response yet against\nUS forces across the Middle East on Sunday, striking military bases and\nlogistical infrastructure in multiple countries after Washington carried\nout a third wave of attacks on Iranian territory. The retaliation\nunfolded in three successive stages and was accompanied by an\nannouncement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that the Strait\nof Hormuz had been closed to maritime traffic until the US intervention\nin the region ends. This escalation followed overnight American strikes\ntargeting military facilities and communications infrastructure in\nsouthern Iran. US Central Command stated the operation hit approximately\n140 targets\u2014including missile and drone launch sites, naval assets,\ncommunication networks, and ammunition depots\u2014calling it the third\nseries of strikes launched against Iran within a week. Washington claims\nthe strikes were conducted after Iran targeted a commercial vessel in\nthe Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran insists the incident involved warning\nshots after the ship ignored navigational instructions.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/trump-demands-protection-money-to-control-strait-of-hormuz-1783983064", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }