Trump wants US to charge Hormuz tolls

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- Trump suggested the US could charge tolls for Strait of Hormuz passage, saying 'We're the winner. We won' — a move the source notes would likely require direct US military control of the waterway.
- Trump issued what he called a 'final' ultimatum demanding Tehran reopen the strait and accept Washington's terms or face attacks on civilian infrastructure including bridges and power plants.
- Trump claimed Iran has been militarily defeated, a contradiction the source flags against Iran's sustained drone and missile attacks and its continuing blockade of Hormuz.
- The Strait of Hormuz lies mostly within Omani and Iranian territorial waters and carried about 20% of the world's oil and LNG before the war, per the source.
- Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf declared that 'The Strait of Hormuz situation won't return to its pre-war status,' while reports indicate Iran is already charging tolls for some ships it allows through.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called for 'new arrangements' including a new protocol for the waterway drafted between the countries on both sides of the strait.
- The White House said Trump is considering asking Arab countries to pay for Washington's expenses in the war on Iran.
Why it matters: With about 20% of global oil and LNG pre-war traffic, any change to Hormuz's status hits global energy markets directly. Trump is staking out a maximalist position — US tolls plus free passage — on a waterway lying mostly in Iranian and Omani territorial waters, meaning US enforcement would require military control rather than international agreement.




