President Donald Trump speaks after touring the newly designated Air Force One presidential aircraft at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (Photo: AP) US President Donald Trump has warned that Washington could impose tolls on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz if a final deal to end the Iran war is not reached within the 60-day ceasefire window.
“There will be NO TOLLS in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period, and there will be NO TOLLS after the 60 day period has expired, unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed,” he said in a Saturday poston Truth Social.
He added the tolls would be “for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs.”
Hours later, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said it would close the strait again, citing what it called continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon despite an agreed ceasefire there, and accusing Washington of failing to honour the first article of the US-Iran ceasefire memorandum. The statement was carried by Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB. US Central Command disputed the claim shortly after, without offering further detail.
The toll question stems from a US-Iran memorandum of understanding reached after a recent ceasefire, which left open whether Tehran will retain control over the strait long-term. Under the current arrangement, ships can transit toll-free for 60 days while Iran and its Gulf neighbours negotiate a longer-term framework a gap that could allow Tehran, not Washington, to impose fees once the window lapses.
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Trump had earlier this week insisted the strait would remain “toll-free during the first 60 days and thereafter,” a claim that appears to sit in tension with Saturday’s post, which conditions the toll-free status explicitly on a deal being finalised.
JD Vance told Fox News on Saturday morning that reopening the strait had been a top priority that “has now happened,” citing what he called a record 16 million barrels moved through the waterway in the previous 24 hours. That claim sits uneasily against Iran’s same-day closure announcement, underlining how unsettled control of the strait remains even after a ceasefire was reached.
US and Iranian officials are due to begin technical-level talks in Geneva from Sunday. The American delegation includes Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Under the interim framework, the two sides have 60 days to negotiate terms covering Iran’s nuclear programme a deadline Trump has said he doesn’t view as rigid, “as long as they’re behaving.”
(With inputs from agency reports)
