New York, United States
Donald Trump, the president of USAassured this Friday that he will not allow Iran to charge tolls for the transit of ships in the Strait of Hormuz and that the enclave will open “fairly soon” with or without the country’s cooperation.
“No, we are not going to allow it (to charge tolls), it is international water,” he told the press before attending an event political this afternoon in Virginia.
“If they are doing that – no one knows if they are doing it – we are not going to allow it,” he added, when asked about alleged taxes imposed by Tehran to the ships that cross the strait, they collect local means.
The president assured that Iran would be charging up to two million dollars to some ships for passing through the sea.
Trump maintained that its reopening is an important objective, although he considered that “it will open automatically” over time and stressed that USA It does not depend on that sea route.
“We’re going to open the gulf with or without them or the strait, as they call it. I think it’s going to be pretty quick, and if it’s not, we’ll be able to finish the job. We’ll reopen it pretty soon,” Trump said.
He also pointed out that the priority of the United States in the talks with Iran, scheduled for this Saturday in Islamabadis to prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon, an objective that he described as “99%” of the negotiations.
Trump, who wished “luck” to the vice president JD Vance after leaving for Islamabad to participate in the negotiations, added that he does not need an alternative plan because the Iranian Army is “defeated” and its forces “have disappeared.”
In an interview with the newspaper The New York Post, The president also assured that the Pentagon is prepared to forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz if negotiations fail.
“We are preparing a restart (of the offensive). We are loading the boats with the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made,” he stated.
Along with Vance, the special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will participate in the talks, while on the Iranian side the presence of the foreign ministerAbás Araqchí, and the president of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Some ships have continued to transit the Strait of Hormuz since the announcement of the cease-fire temporary, although tensions between both countries maintain uncertainty about the strength of the truce.
