President Donald Trump said that Iran had agreed it would not charge any fees for ships transiting the Strait. During the war, Iran seized control of the waterway and required vessels to pay maintenance fees.
“Iran has informed the U.S. that, despite troublemaking Fake News reporting to the contrary, there are ‘NO TOLLS, NO INSURANCE COSTS, & NO OTHER CHARGES OF ANY KIND BEING SOUGHT OR RECEIVED BY IRAN ON SHIPS TRAVELING THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ,” the President posted on Truth Social Wednesday.
The Strait of Hormuz has become a major issue in negotiations to end the war. Before the conflict, the Strait was treated as an international waterway. However, Iran seized control over the Strait during the war.
Washington is demanding that the Strait of Hormuz return to its pre-war status, while Tehran says that the waterway is now part of its territorial waters and ships will need to pay fees to enter or exit the Persian Gulf. About a fifth of global oil transits the Strait.
Trump claimed that if Iran planned to change tolls in the Strait, negotiations would immediately end. “If this is false information, negotiations would end, immediately!” he wrote.
The President also commented on sanctions relief for Iran. Tehran has demanded the removal of sanctions and the unfreezing of Iranian assets. The President claimed that we will control all unfrozen Iranian funds.
“Additionally, no money has been given to Iran, or released from their money to them, by the U.S. We will be releasing some of their money, that is totally controlled by us, to our Farmers and Ranchers, for the purchase of Corn, Wheat, Soybeans, and more.” He added, “Food is desperately needed in Iran, and we will be purchasing it for them exclusively from the United States.”
Trump claimed that Iran was agreeing to everything he wanted and threatened to go back to war if Tehran did not comply with his demands. “Iran is being very nice. They’re agreeing to everything that I want, and they have to,” the President said. “Otherwise we just go back and do what we have to do.”
