The United States military has carried out a third night of strikes against Iran after President Donald Trump said he is reinstating its blockade of Iranian shipping.

The United Arab Emirates says at least two tankers came under Iranian fire in the Strait of Hormuz that Iran insists it has the right to control.

Trump earlier declared the United States would ensure the Hormuz strait is open and said it would charge a 20 per cent fee.

Bahrain and Jordan said they had intercepted new Iranian attacks yesterday as Tehran retaliated with missiles and drones across the Gulf.

Last month’s Memorandum of Understanding between Washington and Tehran stated that Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, free of charge, for 60 days only.

From Iran’s perspective, that wording meant Washington had accepted its claim to exercise control over the strait, a point of vital importance to Iran.
Tehran has said it wants vessels passing through the waterway to coordinate with it, and insists ships should transit only near the Iranian shoreline. It has targeted vessels trying to pass along the Omani side without Iranian permission.

Iran has also said it may eventually charge fees, but has given no details.
Meanwhile, the United States has a completely different view of the meaning of the interim deal’s wording on the strait.

For Washington, the language means only that Iran should facilitate safe passage for vessels and not impose restrictions backed up by force.
The disagreement on this point is one of the main drivers of the current flare-up in fighting.

As recently as June 25, United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio said that no country on earth has the right to charge for the use of international waterways and that fees for shipping would never be part of any deal.

However, Trump had previously suggested the possibility of America charging tolls if the deal with Iran were to break down.

With the ceasefire in tatters, Trump now appears to have revived that idea.

“The United States 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,” he said in a social media post on Monday.

Trump has not explained how such charges would be imposed nor what legal authority he could use to demand them for passage.