WASHINGTON/TEHRAN/NEW YORK/JERUSALEM – US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the US will take investment deals with Gulf states instead of fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

"Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20 percent United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to all ship traffic except for Iran, while the naval blockade will continue.

"BY FAR, the Strait of Hormuz is open to ALL Ship traffic except for Iran," he said. "We will therefore have a FULL Blockade, but only on Ships coming to and from Iranian ports, or carrying anything have to do with Iranian cargo," he added.

The decision came one day after he proposed a 20-percent fee on shipping to reimburse the US for protecting the key waterway.

Trump said he had formally notified Congress on Friday that the country had resumed military operations against Iran.

US resumes blockade in Hormuz

Meanwhile, the US military on Tuesday announced the resumption of the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

"US forces resumed the naval blockade against vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas today at 4 pm Eastern Time," the US Central Command said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

"There are currently more than 20 US Navy warships and hundreds of military aircraft operating across the Middle East. American forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready," it said.

US, Iran exchange fresh attacks 

The command said Tuesday that it had completed a seven-hour wave of strikes against Iran, "hitting dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas," hours after resuming a naval blockade in the strait.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted the MQ-9 drone deployment ramp at US Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait in retaliation for US attacks, the official IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday.

In addition, the IRGC said it had struck US military facilities at the al-Azraq base in Jordan and had also destroyed the command and control center, naval support management center, warehouses, and fuel tanks at the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain in a "crushing response" on Wednesday.

The IRGC warned that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the "end of America's evils."

ALSO READ: Fresh strikes stoke jitters in Middle East

US imposes new sanctions against Iran

The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Tuesday issued General License Z and imposed new Iran-related sanctions.

The license, titled "Authorizing Wind Down Activities, Limited Safety and Environmental Transactions, and the Offloading of Cargo Involving Certain Persons or Vessels Blocked on July 14, 2026," was signed by OFAC Deputy Director Lisa Palluconi.

It does not authorize the entry into any new commercial contracts involving the property or interests in property of any blocked persons, nor does it authorize any transactions or activities prohibited by the executive order titled "Imposing Sanctions With Respect to Additional Sectors of Iran" signed on Jan 10, 2020, including any transaction or activity involving Iran, the government of Iran, or Iranian-origin goods or services that is prohibited by the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations.

Additionally, OFAC has added 10 individuals, 24 entities and 20 vessels to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List because of their connections with Iran. 

Iran lawmakers urge decisive stance on US 'ending' peace MoU

More than 180 Iranian lawmakers in the 290-member parliament issued a joint statement on Tuesday, urging a decisive stance towards what they called the US move to end a recently signed peace memorandum of understanding (MoU).

The lawmakers signed and issued the statement on Monday night at the parliament's first open session since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran on Feb 28, the semi-official Fars news agency reported Tuesday.

They called on the parliament's presiding board to form a special committee to review the issues regarding negotiations and agreements with the US.

The lawmakers said the parliament will prioritize the enhancement and effective transformation of Iran's defense doctrine, alongside legislation to assert the country's sovereignty and management of the Strait of Hormuz.

They also called for revenge for the assassination of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli attack in late February.

ALSO READ: US-Iran strikes deepen crisis amid dispute over waterway

Netanyahu warns Iran of 'powerful' response 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday warned that any Iranian attacks on Israel would be met with a response "much more powerful" than previous attacks, according to a statement from his office.

Speaking at the Negev Conference in the southern city of Dimona, Netanyahu said that Israel is prepared for any scenario.

"I say to the leaders of Iran, do not count on there being silence if you attack us, do not count on there being a rebroadcast, which was powerful enough. It will be a different rerun, much more powerful," he warned.

Iran condemns Britain's decision to designate IRGC as national security threat

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned Britain's "hostile" decision to designate IRGC as a national security threat, calling it "unjustified, irresponsible, and in violation of international law."

In a statement, the ministry said the IRGC is an integral part of Iran's armed forces, responsible for defending the country's territorial integrity and national sovereignty and security alongside the regular army.

It called Britain's decision a "ridiculous and provocative act" that contravenes the UN Charter, particularly given the current situation in West Asia, which it blamed on US and Israeli actions.

It added that Iran reserves all its rights under international law to take countermeasures and warned that Britain would bear responsibility for the "destructive" political, legal and diplomatic consequences of its decision.

The British government announced Monday that it was moving to designate the IRGC and two other organizations as national security threats.

If approved by parliament, they will become the first organizations designated under the National Security (State Threats) Act 2026, according to a written statement by British Security Minister Angela Eagle.

The designation would make it a criminal offense to support or assist the organizations in activities linked to Britain, or knowingly receive a material benefit from them. Certain offenses could carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The IRGC has already been sanctioned in its entirety by Britain.