Washington: President Donald Trump on Monday announced that the United States is reinstating a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. The US will impose a 20 percent charge on all cargo transported through this vital waterway as a measure to cover security costs. This development has caused a slowdown in traffic through the strait as tensions between Washington and Tehran rise once again, with both nations asserting competing claims over the strategic waterway and engaging in renewed strikes that threaten the fragile ceasefire in the region.

According to France24.com, the situation escalated on Sunday when more than ten projectiles struck Iran's Gulf island of Qeshm, located in the Strait of Hormuz. This incident marked a resumption of hostilities between Tehran and Washington, further heightening tensions in the Middle East. In response to these attacks, President Trump stated that the United States had taken significant retaliatory action against Iran's recent aggressive maneuvers in the strait.

The US military confirmed on Sunday that despite Iran's claims of closing the Strait of Hormuz, shipping activities continue. This assurance comes amid the latest flare-up in the ongoing conflict in the region, as both nations continue to assert their strategic interests in the Mideast. The reinstatement of the blockade and the imposition of cargo charges highlight the growing complexities of the geopolitical landscape surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.