“What’re You Going To Do About It, That’s What I’d Like To Know?

Trump says the US military will serve as mercenaries by taking over the Strait of Hormuz and charging everyone a fee to transit equal to 20% of their cargo. pic.twitter.com/UGpgo6Yt6n

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 13, 2026

The Strait of Hormuz was open, and deemed “international waters”.

Then Trump attacked Iran. In response, Iran closed the Strait by attacking ships going through it.

Trump couldn’t stop Iran from doing that, so it reached an agreement not keep the Strait open. Which agreement neither Iran nor the United States could keep.

The U.S. was unable to control the Strait, which is why it signed the MOU. Iran claimed the authority to charge a toll for use of the Strait, something Trump said the U.S. would not allow.

Now Trump declares the U.S. is in charge of the Strait, and now we’re charging a toll. Because we need to get paid for keeping the Strait secure and open. Which it was, before we attacked Iran.

In the old gangster movies, they called this a “shakedown.”

Is it time for Congress to exercise their Article I authority yet?