President Donald Trump announced a significant shift in his administration's Middle East strategy on Tuesday, replacing a proposed 20% security fee on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz with upcoming trade and investment agreements from Gulf nations.

In a statement on Truth Social, the President credited the strength of the U.S. military for keeping global energy corridors open and stable. Trump specifically commended key defense leaders, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, and CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, noting that their leadership has secured safe passage through the vital strait for all international maritime traffic—with the sole exception of Iran.

Taking a firm national security stance, Trump announced a strict naval blockade targeting any vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports, as well as any shipping carrying Iranian cargo. The President attributed the aggressive measure to the hostile behavior of Tehran’s leadership, warning that their actions are leading the country toward severe consequences.

The decision to pivot from a transit fee to direct economic agreements follows a series of productive discussions with Middle Eastern leaders. According to Trump, these upcoming agreements will bring historic levels of foreign capital into the domestic economy. The administration projects that the influx of investment will drive a manufacturing expansion, funding new domestic factories and plants to create millions of American jobs.

Trump concluded by emphasizing his administration's commitment to curbing the regime's regional aggression and domestic human rights abuses, reiterating a core foreign policy objective: ensuring Iran never successfully develops a nuclear weapon.