President Donald Trump claimed Iran pledged that it will not pursue any tolls or charges of any kind through the Strait of Hormuz, and that negotiations would end if it did.
“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. If this is false information, negotiations would end, immediately!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“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. Food is desperately needed in Iran, and we will be purchasing it for them exclusively from the United States,” he added.
Iran and the United States have strongly diverged on what they’ve said about the negotiations publicly, frequently contradicting each other.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Oman to discuss “arrangements for managing the Strait of Hormuz” with the Omani sultan. The meeting and Iran’s rhetoric have intensified fears that Iran could pursue tolls, a move illegal under international law, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed out on Tuesday.
“Well, that’s the law,” Rubio told a reporter when asked if the U.S. would support freedom of navigation through the strait. “It’s an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law.”
“So, I don’t think we have anybody to convince around here in that regard. I think all countries in this region will agree with us,” he added.
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In a Saturday post on Truth Social, Trump was adamant that tolls would not be put in place after the 60-day period was up, “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed, 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.”
The Gulf countries have been equally adamant, arguing that only a return to the prewar status quo in the strait would be acceptable.
