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World
President Trump declared that no transit fees will be applied in the Strait of Hormuz except those imposed by the United States and for its benefit.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that no transit fees will be charged in the Strait of Hormuz unless they are imposed by the United States and for its benefit.
Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, stating, "There will be no transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days during the ceasefire period, and no fees will be applied after the 60 days unless imposed by America and for its benefit, if the agreement is not completed."
Earlier on Saturday, at Joint Base Andrews, Trump remarked that ships are flowing through the Strait of Hormuz at an unprecedented rate, emphasizing that the naval blockade has pushed Iran toward negotiations more than before.
The US Central Command confirmed that the strait "remains open to commercial navigation despite Iran's claims that it has been closed," responding to Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
According to the Central Command, 55 commercial vessels passed through the strait on Saturday, carrying over 17 million barrels of oil destined for global markets.
Meanwhile, Iran announced on Saturday the re-closure of the Strait of Hormuz after accusing the United States and Israel of violating the memorandum of understanding regarding the non-withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
This announcement came a day after Saeed Khatibzadeh, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, stated that Iran would impose fees on ships passing through the strait after the 60-day period mentioned in the memorandum of understanding.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Khatibzadeh said, "Iran will not charge fees for 60 days for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, but will establish a new protocol for passage after this period."
He added, "We will adopt a new mechanism to manage the strait after 60 days, propose a special initiative to regional countries, and continue providing navigation services in coordination with the Sultanate of Oman."
Trump ordered the lifting of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports under the memorandum of understanding with Iran and urged global ships to "start their engines" to cross the strait and resume oil flow.
The US military denied that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed and affirmed that navigation continues.
