In brief
- US president Donald Trump has accused Iran of doing a “very poor job” reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
- In the same barrage of social media posts, Trump warned Iran not to impose a toll on ships traversing the strait.
United States President Donald Trump has leveled accusations against Iran, claiming the nation has done a “very poor job” in facilitating the passage of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Furthermore, he charged them with violating the terms of their recently established two-week ceasefire agreement.
On social media, Trump unleashed a series of posts that reignited concerns over the fragile truce. He cautioned Iran against imposing fees on ships navigating this pivotal maritime route.
“Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump declared on Friday via his Truth Social platform. “That is not the agreement we have!” he asserted.
The agreement, struck between Iran and the US, was meant to ensure the reopening of the 167-kilometer strait, a vital conduit between the Gulf and the Indian Ocean, following the announcement of the truce just last Wednesday.
However, maritime tracking data reveals that a mere ten vessels have successfully transited the strait since the ceasefire in the Middle East was put into effect, indicating potential complications in the agreement’s implementation.
But just 10 vessels have passed through since the Middle East war ceasefire took effect, according to maritime tracking data.
Tensions have risen further after Iran suggested imposing a toll on ships — though Trump has made similar suggestions and even aired joint tolls with Tehran.
“There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait — They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!” Trump said in an earlier Truth Social message.
In yet another post in which he raged at a critical media editorial on the ceasefire, Trump added that “very quickly, you’ll see Oil start flowing, with or without the help of Iran”.
The US leader’s tone appeared to darken noticeably from earlier comments to NBC News in which he said he was “very optimistic” about a peace deal with Iran after their ceasefire, and that Israel was “scaling back” strikes in Lebanon.
Trump told the US broadcaster in a telephone interview that Iran’s leaders were “much more reasonable” in private but added that “if they don’t make a deal, it’s going to be very painful”.
US vice president JD Vance is due to hold talks with Iran in Pakistan on Saturday. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are also travelling to Islamabad.
“The president is optimistic that a deal can be reached that can lead to lasting peace in the Middle East,” White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Agence France-Presse in a statement on Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had meanwhile agreed in a call with Trump on Thursday to “low-key it” with Lebanon after devastating strikes, the US president said.
Israel and Lebanon will hold talks in Washington next week, a State Department official said.
Israel’s heaviest strikes on Lebanon since Hezbollah entered the Middle East war in early March killed hundreds on Wednesday, rattling the uneasy truce between the US and Iran less than 48 hours after it came into force.
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