CNN Airs Scathing Montage of Top Trump Officials Trashing Iran’s Hormuz Toll: ‘Extortion’

President Donald Trump’s newly announced plan to impose a 20% charge on cargo moving through the Strait of Hormuz to compensate the U.S. plan to be a “GUARDIAN” of the waterway ran into an awkward reminder on CNN NewsNight Monday when host Abby Phillip aired a montage of top administration officials repeatedly rejecting the idea.

Phillip juxtaposed Trump’s latest move with recent remarks from Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, all of whom had argued in recent months that international waterways should remain free of transit fees and condemned Iran’s previous proposals to levy similar charges.

“So just how much would that cost? Well, later, on Truth Social, Trump said that all cargo would be charged 20%,” Phillip said before noting that Iran’s foreign minister had mockingly embraced the idea in principle while quipping that the proposed rate was too high.

She then introduced a series of clips showing members of Trump’s own administration taking the opposite position.

In footage from June 23, Rubio said: “It’s an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law.”

Vance, speaking on June 18, similarly declared: “First of all, we believe international waterways should be free of tolls. And that’s been our position. That’s what you see, of course, in the 60 days of the MOU.”

Rubio reiterated the stance on June 24, saying: “If I know of no country on the planet that supports tolling or a fee for the use of the straits.”

Hegseth was also shown criticizing Iran’s previous proposal during remarks on May 5: “And trying to impose a tolling system, Iran’s plan, a form of international extortion, is unacceptable.”

A final clip featured Rubio insisting on June 25 that: “There is zero support – zero support – among the Gulf countries for any sort of toll or fees or anything that charges for the use of international waters. The president’s made it clear that’s not going to happen.”

The montage came after Trump announced on Truth Social that the United States would reimpose what he called “THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE” and assume a permanent security role over the Strait of Hormuz following renewed military exchanges with Tehran.

“The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but 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,” Trump wrote, adding that “The process and formation will begin immediately.”

Watch above via CNN.

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