U.S. President Donald Trump's latest proposal regarding the Strait of Hormuz marks a breathtaking departure from the very principles the United States has long claimed to defend. By announcing the restoration of a naval blockade against Iran while declaring that the U.S. will impose a 20 percent toll on cargo transiting one of the world's most vital waterways, the U.S. president has crossed a line that should alarm adversaries and allies alike. For decades, Washington has argued that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway where freedom of navigation must be preserved against any attempt by Iran to exert unilateral control. Successive U.S. administrations have condemned Tehran whenever it threatened to interfere with commercial shipping or sought to leverage the strait for political or economic gain. Trump's proposal turns that position on its head. If the U.S. can charge ships for exercising the internationally recognized right of transit passage simply because its navy patrols the region, on what legal or moral grounds can it continue to criticize Iran — or any other coast