Here’s an interesting statement from President Trump:
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
That’s right, charging for passage through a natural strait. But I wonder if he’s thought this through? Oh, what am I saying.
A single example out of many: who will collect the tolls around Cape Horn, the southern tip of South America? Will Chile and Argentina arm-wrestle over it? Come to a sensible compromise?
And, adding all these straits and capes together, how much would this cost the United States? Perhaps countries collecting these tolls will adjust based on nationality, or origin of this trip? This is sounding like a rat’s nest of an idea, honestly.
And how much does it cost to put aircraft carriers in the Strait of Hormuz and fly periodic monitoring flights?
