by WorldTribune Staff, July 14, 2026 Non-AI Real World News
The leader of the Free World is keeping all sides guessing.
As U.S. forces carried out a third consecutive night of strikes on Iranian targets, President Donald Trump said he was canceling the 20% toll on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
“I put it out yesterday, I thought it was good. [But] I was called by different people, different countries — kings and emirs, and all of the people that we all know and we all love — and they’ve been, frankly, they’ve been very strong partners,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “And they said ‘We’d love to do it a different way, we’d love to invest in the United States with billions and billions of dollars.’ ”
The president said the toll was to be “a reimbursement,” but the investment deals offered by Gulf states was the better option. “The Gulf states are going to invest a tremendous amount of money into the United States, and that was very satisfactory to me. I think it’s actually much better.”
Trump added that Gulf allies told him “there’s never been a time like this with the United States, with the factories, with the plants, with everything else, and we would like to invest tremendously in the United States, as opposed to [paying] a fee.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Tuesday it had completed the latest wave of strikes against Iran. The five-hour mission struck military targets across the country and further degraded Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping.
U.S. forces attacked Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities, CENTCOM said.
The military action came hours after Trump ordered to reinstate a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.
Any country doing business with Iran won’t be able to get through the strait, Trump said when asked about the offensive during a press conference Monday.
“It’s a very strong blockade,” he said.
U.S. Forces reported redirecting more than 140 compliant ships, disabling nine non-compliant vessels, and allowing over 50 commercial ships supporting humanitarian aid to pass through the blockage during the last two-month period, according to CENTCOM.
U.S. drones successfully struck an Iranian submarine and ship maintenance facility on Sunday, marking the first time American forces used sea drones in combat operations.
In a related development, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also looking into reports of Iranian drones being sent to Cuba, Trump said.
In a post to Truth Social, Trump wrote:
Oil is flowing like never before, thanks to the awesome Power of the United States Military. A special salute to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, and Commander of the United States Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper. Because of them, and all members of the Most Powerful Military anywhere in the World, BY FAR, the Strait of Hormuz is open to ALL Ship traffic except for Iran — and that is because of their lying, violent, malicious leadership, which is taking them down the path of TOTAL DESTRUCTION. We will therefore have a FULL Blockade, but only on Ships coming to and from Iranian ports, or carrying anything have to do with Iranian cargo. Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States. Those Investments will be MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future. As everyone is aware, we have the largest Dollar Investment into the United States, of any Country in History, but these new Investments will make that Number even larger, and we will see Factories, Plants, and Equipment pour into the United States at Historic levels, which will create additional millions of High Paying AMERICAN Jobs! America is WINNING again, winning like never before. The days of Iran killing hundreds of thousands of people, including 52,000 protestors, are OVER and, most importantly, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP
In a second post, the president wrote:
The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating the 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. The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as “THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World. The process and formation will begin immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
