Iranian report says last-minute changes will allow fees in the Strait of Hormuz

Iranian state-linked outlet Tasnim quoted a well-informed source on Monday saying disputes between Iran and the United States over the terms of a memorandum of understanding continued until the final minutes before the announcement. According to the source, the first clause was amended to add a pledge to guarantee Lebanon’s sovereignty and respect its territorial integrity, after Donald Trump had previously objected to that language.

The source also said the fifth clause was expanded to state that Iran and Oman would be responsible for managing maritime navigation services in the Strait of Hormuz. The agreement reportedly includes a 60-day exemption from collecting tolls from ships passing through the strait, after which Iran plans to start charging them.

On Hormuz itself, the source said Trump insisted that the strait be reopened and the blockade lifted immediately and at the same time as the announcement of the understandings, but Iran did not agree. As a result, the reopening process is set to begin only after the understandings are signed on Friday.

The source added that Trump initially posted that the strait had been reopened and the blockade lifted simultaneously, but after an objection relayed by Iran through a Pakistani mediator, the wording was changed to say the Strait of Hormuz would reopen after Friday.