‘20% is too much, we’ll be fair’: Iran mocks Trump over Hormuz cargo fees
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, on Monday mocked the demands made by US President Donald Trump to impose charges on all cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz and said that Tehran would charge a lower rate.
Escalating tensions threaten a return to active warfare
Trump earlier announced that the US military will reinstate a naval blockade on Iran in Hormuz and will charge all cargo shipped through the critical waterway.
But Tehran has reiterated that it controls the strait, as both nations were engaged in another round of fire, threatening a return to an all-out war.
Araghchi agrees on compensation principle via social media
In a post on X, Araghchi wrote, “POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service.”
Foreign minister asserts perpetual Iranian guardianship
The foreign minister added, “Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is, of course, too much. We will be fair.”
Shift from traditional freedom of navigation policies
The United States till now, had said the strait should remain open for all and no tolls shall be imposed, as it was before the US-Israel launched joint attacks on Iran in February.
“We are reinstating the Iranian blockade. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait,” Trump earlier wrote on Truth Social, adding that the US would be “reimbursed” by 20% of the value of cargo to help cover “any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security.”
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Meanwhile, Iran has vowed to fight back if any country, including the United States, interferes in the management and control of traffic in Hormuz.
Tehran has asserted that it has the right to manage the shipping via the strait and potentially charge a fee in accordance with the interim peace agreement signed last month, AP reported.
United Nations agency rejects shipping tolls legal basis
The United Nations agency, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), has opposed the introduction of tolls for the vessels passing through international waterways.
“There is no legal basis through which to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait,” the IMO said in a statement.
