The Strait of Hormuz Just Slammed Shut.

The Strait of Hormuz closes today at 4 p.m. Eastern. Twenty percent of the world's oil supply flows through that 21-mile-wide channel. Starting right now, Trump is charging every cargo ship a 20% toll to pass. Two UAE tankers were struck by Iranian missiles this morning. One crew member is dead.

The mainstream press calls this "escalating tensions." I call it an inflation tax you never voted for.

Inside today's issue:

• THE OIL SHOCK: Why 20 million barrels a day suddenly have nowhere to go, and what happens to your cost of living in 60 days
• GOLD AT $4,021: Why precious metals are sitting at a critical level while the world's most important chokepoint goes dark
• THE TRUMP TOLL: The 20% cargo fee that makes every barrel more expensive and what the Fed cannot do about it
• New from Larry Benedict: a three-step approach to the oil market he calls "Oil Skimming."

THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ CLOSES TODAY.

Not metaphorically. Not as a negotiating threat. At 4 p.m. Eastern today, the United States reinstates its naval blockade of Iranian shipping. This is the fourth wave of U.S. strikes in seven days. Iran responded Sunday by hitting U.S. military facilities in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman.

Trump put it plainly on Monday:

"We bombed the hell out of them."

He also announced a 20% toll on every cargo ship that passes through. He said: "We're going to keep it that way."

HERE IS WHAT THE MAINSTREAM IS MISSING.

Bloomberg is running charts on oil prices. CNN is tracking the military strikes. Nobody is telling you the 60-to-90-day lag. That is how long it takes for an oil supply shock to hit your gas pump, your grocery store, your heating bill. The pain you feel in September was decided today.

Oil jumped 9.5% today. Already above $83 a barrel. Analysts are putting $100 back on the table within weeks if the blockade holds. OPEC nations, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE, they ship their oil through Hormuz. Or they did. Alternative routes exist but they are slower and more expensive. Net loss to global supply is still running at 12.2 million barrels a day.

I have seen this movie before. Different countries, same script. Every empire eventually tries to control the world's chokepoints. Rome did it on the Mediterranean. Britain did it at Suez. Now it is the Strait of Hormuz. The playbook never changes. What changes is who ends up holding the bag.

Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is trying to figure out whether to raise rates again. Good luck with that. You cannot beat supply-shock inflation with interest rates. All you get is a recession to go with the inflation.

Gold is sitting at $4,021 an ounce right now. Down from its January peak of $5,590. Down because Kevin Warsh's Fed nomination briefly spooked the debasement trade. Silver is at $57.72. Down more than 50% from its January high near $120.

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Gold's pullback from $5,590 to $4,021 is not a repudiation of the debasement thesis. It is a recalibration. The dollar got a temporary boost when Warsh was announced. Markets decided: hawkish Fed equals strong dollar equals gold down. That logic holds until the next crisis forces the Fed's hand.

Today might be that moment.

OPEC nations ship through Hormuz. If their oil revenues collapse, their sovereign wealth funds stop buying U.S. Treasuries. The Federal Reserve has to fill that gap. How? The same way they always fill it. Print more dollars. Add more debt. Dilute your savings by another few percent without ever calling it a tax.

The national debt is at $39.5 trillion. We pay roughly $3 billion a day in interest alone. And now we are about to manage an oil shock with the same government that cannot pass a budget on time.

My rich dad taught me one rule: in times of crisis, own the things governments cannot print. Gold. Silver. Real estate. Assets that hold their value when the currency does not.

I have been buying silver since 1965. Silver at $57.72 is down more than 50% from January. The metals that get hammered the hardest in a correction tend to recover the fastest when the next leg up starts. I will not stop buying now.

The Strait closed at 4 p.m. today. The next 90 days will tell you everything about what this government is made of. Position yourself accordingly.

To your freedom,

Robert Kiyosaki

Author, Rich Dad Poor Dad

P.S. For years, our friend Larry Benedict ran his own hedge fund, where he quietly generated over a quarter of a billion dollars in profit. Now he's pulling back the curtain on his top oil strategy. It has already helped his readers have a chance at payouts like $4,354, $4,783, and even $6,268. Watch the free presentation here.

You might also be interested in:

Trump to Unleash Giant $2.7 Trillion Gold Mine? (Paradigm Press)

US prepares to reinstate Hormuz strait blockade, charge 20% on all cargo shipped (Yahoo Finance)

Jim Rickards Predicts: Trump's Next Big Buy (Paradigm Press)

Oil prices rise as US and Iran fight for control of Strait of Hormuz (CNBC)

New from Larry Benedict: a three-step approach to the oil market he calls "Oil Skimming."