It’s never a good sign when you give the regime you said was completely crazy the chance to act more reasonable than you are.
In the topsy-turvy world of 2026, that happened yesterday after tensions flared and military action escalated again in the conflict between the United States and Israel and Iran.
Growing more impatient for problems to stop, President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. would now be declared the Guardians of the Hormuz Strait and would be reimbursed 20% as they work to guarantee safe passage.
There are three obvious problems with this.
One – it’s not really permitted under international law.
Two – that fact was earlier pointed out by your own Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said “no country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway”. So, when Iran threatens it, it’s bad, but it’s fine when you do it?
Three – and I can’t stress this enough, even Iran says you would be overcharging. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said that safe passage should be worth something, but that 20% is obviously too much and that they would be more “fair”.
It takes a lot to make people who regularly kill their own citizens and hold the world economy hostage to look like the more affordable and reasonable of two providers in an illegal protection racket, but strangely we have now arrived at that unpleasant destination.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
