U.S. president warns Tehran over alleged shipping restrictions and fees as global energy flows falter and diplomatic talks loom
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with how the Iranian regime has managed passage through the Strait of Hormuz following the countries’ agreement on a two-week cease-fire.
“Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on April 9.
“That is not the agreement we have!”
In a separate Truth Social post, the president also criticized Iran over unconfirmed reports that the regime was charging ships a fee to pass through the strategic waterway.
“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 wrote.
Fees were not imposed on shipping vessels prior to the United States and Israel launching Operation Epic Fury against the Iranian regime on Feb. 28.
Mark Rutte also emphasized that ships must be able to pass through without incurring fees.
“We have to bring together a coalition of countries which is able collectively to make sure that the principle of free shipping or free travel on our seas … is upheld,” Rutte said on Thursday.
The Epoch Times has reached out to Abbas Araghchi for comment.
Despite uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz—a critical passage just south of Iran that handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas—Trump told NBC News that he remained “very optimistic” about reaching a peace agreement with Iran.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are scheduled to hold talks with Iranian representatives beginning April 11.
Trump suggested that Iranian officials “talk much differently when you’re at a meeting than they do to the press. They’re much more reasonable.”
Between April 8 and the morning of April 9, only seven ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz, a sharp decline from the typical 140 vessels, according to ship-tracking data.
Hundreds of tankers and ships have remained stranded in the Persian Gulf since late February due to the conflict involving Iran.
The disruption in shipments has driven global oil and gas prices higher.
As of 8:30 p.m. ET, crude oil prices stood at $98.
Meanwhile, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States reached $4.16—more than one dollar higher than pre-war levels—according to the American Automobile Association.
