In a dramatic escalation of tensions, Iran has taken significant action against oil tankers navigating the critical Strait of Hormuz. This move comes alongside a drone attack targeting a major Saudi oil pipeline and demands for Israel to halt its offensive in Lebanon, all of which have intensified scrutiny on President Donald Trump’s recent ceasefire agreement.

Initially, two oil tankers were permitted to pass through the Strait as part of the two-week ceasefire with the United States, according to reports from Iran’s Fars news agency. However, this passage was soon suspended. The agency later clarified that the halt in transit coincided with Israel’s ongoing military actions in Lebanon.

The situation further escalated with Iran threatening severe repercussions for oil tankers attempting to navigate the Strait without explicit permission, including imposing a hefty toll of up to $2 million per vessel. Tehran has also warned of potential destruction of any non-compliant vessels.

Meanwhile, the East-West pipeline in Saudi Arabia, a vital link transporting crude oil from the Gulf to the Red Sea, suffered a drone strike at approximately 1 PM local time, as reported by the Financial Times. This incident underscores the growing instability in the region.

President Trump now faces mounting criticism from his core supporters concerning the ceasefire and associated peace plan, with many fearing it overly favors Tehran. The backlash has been so intense that the White House has been compelled to issue clarifications on the specifics of the agreement.

Trump is facing a furious backlash from his most fervent supporters over the ceasefire and 10-point peace plan, amid fears it concedes too much to Tehran – with even his own White House forced to clarify his claims about the terms of the deal. 

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham demanded JD Vance appear before Congress to explain the terms of the agreement after the Vice President spearheaded eleventh-hour peace talks mediated by Pakistan, despite previously opposing the war. 

‘The supposed negotiating document, in my view, has some troubling aspects, but time will tell,’ Graham posted on X. 

‘I look forward to the architects of this proposal, the Vice President and others, coming forward to Congress and explaining how a negotiated deal meets our national security objectives in Iran.’ 

Donald Trump holds a Press Conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 6

Smoke rises from the direction of the Mehrabad airport, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, April 7

The Strait of Hormuz handles around 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas but has effectively been shut down by Iran in retaliation over the joint US-Israeli attacks launched on February 28

Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska said Trump had secured ‘significant victories’ but expressed skepticism over the peace talks and the President’s claims of ‘total victory.’

‘The government’s still in place and we should be negotiating from a position of strength, not a position that’s good for them,’ he told CNN.

‘They will work with Russia and China as soon as they can to start rebuilding their military. And they will be a threat five, six, seven, eight years down the road. And so, as long as this government’s in place, total victory has not been earned.’

Laura Loomer, a pro-Israel Trump ally, predicted the ceasefire ‘will fail.’

‘The negotiation is a negative for our country. We didn’t really get anything out of it and the terrorists in Iran are celebrating,’ she wrote on X. ‘I don’t know why people are acting like this is a win.’

Mark Levin, another pro-Israel commentator with close ties to Trump, said that while he trusts the President’s ‘instincts’ the Iranians could not be trusted. 

‘This enemy is still the enemy; they’re still surviving,’ he said of Iran. 

Iran publicly released what it claimed was the 10-point framework for a peace deal, demanding the US accept Tehran’s continued control over the Strait, recognize its right to uranium enrichment, lift all sanctions, pay compensation and withdraw all troops from the region. 

Trump last night described the points of the peace proposal as ‘a workable basis on which to negotiate.’ 

But a White House official said the points do not match what Trump was referring to in his Truth Social post. 

Trump said Wednesday: ‘They are very good points – and most of them have been fully negotiated. If it isn’t good, we’ll go right back to it very easily.’ 

Trump called the deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz a ‘joint venture’ and also promised that the US was working with Iran to dismantle its uranium enrichment capacity. 

Iranians burn US and Israeli flags at a protest in Enghelab Square, Tehran, following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire

Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE will likely find it highly unpalatable if Tehran continues to control traffic through the vital oil passage

The President wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday: ‘There will be no enrichment of uranium, and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 bombers) nuclear “dust.”‘ 

The safety of the uranium was confirmed before an eleventh-hour deal was struck, the White House said. 

‘Nothing has been touched from the date of attack,’ Trump said, claiming that the nuclear site has been watched closely since it was bombed.

It is not clear whether Trump was referring to the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, or to more recent strikes during the current Iran war.

Trump said that tariff and sanctions relief were being discussed as part of a peace plan with ‘many’ points already agreed.

Iran has already begun outlining a scheme to rake in billions from the reopened Strait of Hormuz. 

The exact terms remain unsettled, but ships must notify intermediary companies linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of their cargo, destination and owner – with tolls of at least $1 per barrel payable in Chinese yuan or cryptocurrency.

Trump welcomed the idea, telling ABC: ‘We’re thinking of doing it as a joint venture. It’s a way of securing it – also securing it from lots of other people.

‘It’s a beautiful thing.’

The Strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows, has been dubbed the ‘Tehran Tollbooth’ by analysts and traders.

The average bill for a single tanker runs to $2 million – and only once payment clears will IRGC patrol boats escort the vessel through the ‘tollbooth.’

Some analysts believe the scheme could net Iran as much as $500 billion over five years.

Hamid Hosseini, a spokesperson for Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union, said that cargo checks were necessary to prevent the transport of weaponry.

‘Iran needs to monitor what goes in and out of the strait to ensure these two weeks aren’t used for transferring weapons,’ Hosseini, whose industry association has close ties to the regime, told the FT. 

‘Everything can pass through, but the procedure will take time for each vessel, and Iran is not in a rush,’ he added.

Hosseini’s comments indicate vessels must hug the northerly Iranian coast of the Strait, a prospect that will raise alarm among maritime insurers. 

Iranians burn U.S. and Israeli flags on Wednesday, April 8, 2026

A boat approaches the St Kitt’s and Nevis-flagged container ship Marsa Victory while cruising in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Khasab in Oman’s northern Musandam peninsula on June 25 

Tankers in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday received a radio alert warning that they would be targeted if they did not first gain transit approval from Iranian authorities.

‘If any vessels try to transit without permission, [they] will be destroyed,’ said the broadcast in English.

Western shipping giants scrambled to establish whether the Strait was truly operational again. 

Maersk, the world’s second biggest shipping line, said it was ‘working with urgency’ to clarify the terms.

‘The ceasefire may create transit opportunities, but it does not yet provide full maritime certainty,’ it said, adding that it was maintaining a ‘cautious approach’ and would not immediately change any routes.

If Iran keeps its grip on the Strait, it will raise explosive questions for OPEC+, the oil producers’ cartel, and redraw the balance of power in the region.

Saudi Arabia, one of the group’s most powerful members, would regard Iranian control of the waterway as intolerable. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had urged Trump to crush the Iranian regime before the ceasefire.

Ali Shihabi, a commentator close to the Saudi royal court, told the FT: ‘Allowing Iran any form of control over the strait would be a red line. The priority has to be unimpeded access through the strait.’