US President Donald Trump has said oil-rich Middle Eastern countries should reimburse the United States for the costs of protecting the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump said Washington spends significant resources safeguarding the strategic waterway and should be compensated by countries that benefit from its security. “We protect a very wealthy part of the world, and we spend a lot of money doing it. We should be reimbursed,” Trump said. He specifically named Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, arguing that these countries benefit from the security of the Strait of Hormuz and should contribute to the costs of maintaining it. Trump had earlier announced another proposal suggesting that US forces could take on the role of protecting the strait, with commercial vessels required to pay a security fee for passing through the waterway. Under his proposed plan, ships would pay the United States an amount equivalent to 20% of the total value of their cargo as a security charge for using the strategic route.
