Trump: US Will 'Keep' Hormuz, Get Paid to Protect It

President Trump says the US will be paid "a lot of money" to guard the Strait of Hormuz. In a Fox News interview Monday, Trump said the country shouldn't secure the world's most watched oil chokepoint for free, vowing that America is "going to get paid for guarding" the vital shipping lane, where tensions with Iran have flared again, per CNBC. Trump said the US would "keep" and "probably run" the strait, acting as its "guardian" and "guardian angel."

Both the US and Iran claim to control the waterway. An adviser to Iran's supreme leader suggested Iran, which previously began collecting tolls for transport, would fight for the strait to avoid paying "tribute to the enemy," per the AP. Trump claimed the US would be paid by "wealthy" nations "on our side," without naming names, per the Hill. Traffic through the strait has plummeted amid the fresh attacks, with just 14 ships passing through on Sunday, "the fewest in a month," per the New York Times.