Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at new U.S. plans for the Strait of Hormuz, Houthi allegations against Saudi Arabia, and the European Union cracking down on minors’ social media access.

The Guardian of Hormuz

For months, the United States has cited Iran’s claims over the Strait of Hormuz, including Tehran’s vow to impose tolls on commercial ships, as a reasoning for continued war. “It’s an international waterway,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month. “No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law.”

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at new U.S. plans for the Strait of Hormuz, Houthi allegations against Saudi Arabia, and the European Union cracking down on minors’ social media access.

The Guardian of Hormuz

For months, the United States has cited Iran’s claims over the Strait of Hormuz, including Tehran’s vow to impose tolls on commercial ships, as a reasoning for continued war. “It’s an international waterway,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month. “No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law.”

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump flipped the script, vowing to establish U.S. control over the strategic thoroughfare and charge all cargo vessels a steep toll for access.

“The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday. “[B]ut 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.”

A fifth of global oil and gas once passed through the Strait of Hormuz. However, since the Iran war ignited in late February, Tehran has effectively shut down the thoroughfare, disrupting supply chains and raising energy costs. The White House has repeatedly stressed that U.S. forces will reopen the strait to everyone—without tolls. “There isn’t a nation on Earth that supports having to pay money to go through the straits,” Rubio said on June 25.

Yet Trump told Fox & Friends on Monday that the United States is no longer interested in working for free. “We’re going to be reimbursed because the other nations are very wealthy,........

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