President Donald Trump issued a sharp clarification overnight Wednesday about understandings with Iran, warning Tehran against any attempt to charge fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. He said Iran told the United States that, despite what he called false and inflammatory reports from “fake news,” it has no intention of collecting passage fees, insurance costs, or any other payment from vessels using the waterway. Trump added, “If it turns out this is false information, the negotiations will be stopped immediately.”
The statement came after recent reports that Iran had begun imposing transit charges on commercial ships, allegedly demanding about $2 million per voyage under the cover of mandatory “insurance” fees. Those reports said a new body, the Persian Gulf Straits Authority, required ships to obtain advance permission and sail only on designated routes along Iran’s coast. Qatar and Oman rejected the claims, and officials warned that such a move would violate international maritime law.
Trump also addressed frozen Iranian funds, saying the United States had not transferred money to Iran or released any funds. He said Washington would free some of the money under full U.S. control for American farmers and cattle producers to buy corn, wheat, soybeans and other goods. Trump said Iran “desperately needs food,” and that the U.S. would buy it for Tehran exclusively from the United States. But Iran’s U.N. envoy in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said Iran would decide how the released funds are spent.
The dispute continues alongside a 60-day U.S. easing of certain sanctions, intended to let Iran sell oil and related products and receive direct payments. The two sides also remain divided over Iran’s nuclear program, with Tehran denying it agreed to restore International Atomic Energy Agency inspections. The issue comes amid growing pressure from Congress, where the Senate passed a war powers resolution by 50 to 48, with four Republican senators joining Democrats, to limit military action against Iran without congressional approval. Trump denounced the vote, and the standoff now centers on whether Iran will honor its pledge not to charge transit fees in Hormuz.
