US President Donald Trump has suggested the United States may be looking to charge a toll in the Strait of Hormuz after the war, a move that would likely require direct US military control over the strategic waterway.
After a blockade or closure of the Strait of Hormuz for shipments since the US-Iran-Israel war initiated on February 28, the US, including other countries, faced a global energy crisis amid economic challenges.
Trump in a recent briefing said he would accept a deal that would allow Iran to take fees from ships to traverse the strait.
"What about us charging tolls? I’d rather do that than let them have them. Why shouldn’t we? We’re the winner. We won.”
As stated, Trump reiterated that Iran has been militarily defeated, a claim that he has been making since the early days of the war, despite Iran’s sustained drone and missile attacks across the region and its continuing blockade of Hormuz.
“The only thing they have is the psychology of, ‘Oh, we’re going to drop a couple of mines in the water.’ All right, no, I mean, we have a concept where we’ll charge tolls,” Trump told reporters.
Hormuz, which connects the Gulf to the Indian Ocean, lies mostly within Omani and Iranian territorial waters. About 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passed through the strait before the war.
Trump’s latest comments came as he issued what he called a “final” ultimatum to Tehran to reopen the strait and agree to Washington’s terms or face attacks against Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including bridges and power plants.
The US president told reporters on Monday that any deal with Iran must include reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“We have to have a deal that’s acceptable to me, and part of that deal is going to be we want free traffic of oil,” he said.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X last month, “The Strait of Hormuz situation won’t return to its pre-war status."
Additionally, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has also called for “new arrangements” to manage the waterway after the war, ensuring safe passage for ships and protecting Iran’s interests.
Notably, the White House stated last week that U.S. President Donald Trump is also considering asking Arab countries to pay for Washington’s expenses in its war on Iran.
