▲ This file photo, released by Reuters, shows U.S. President Donald Trump speaking during the signing ceremony for an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on March 31, 2026. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) Trump-Hormuz Strait

(LEAD) Trump says Iran doing 'very poor job' of letting oil tankers transit Strait of Hormuz

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES throughout)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran is doing a "very poor job" of letting oil tankers pass through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, pointing out that it is "not the agreement we have."

Trump made the remarks in a social media post amid concerns that a two-week ceasefire in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran appears fragile amid Iran's continued restrictions on traffic through the strait and Israel's strikes targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

He announced the ceasefire agreement with Iran on Tuesday, saying that it is "subject to" Tehran's "complete, immediate and safe" opening of the waterway.

"Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "That is not the agreement we have!"

The Islamic Republic has been asserting its control of the strait as a key strategic lever as its curbs on traffic through the strait led to a rise in oil prices and fueled concerns about higher inflation ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. The waterway is responsible for about a fifth of the world's oil supply.

Earlier in the day, Russia's TASS news agency reported, citing a high-ranking Iranian source, that Iran will allow fewer than 15 ships a day through the strait as part of the ceasefire deal.

In a separate Truth Social post, Trump warned that Iran had "better stop now" if it is charging fees to oil tankers transiting the strait.

The warning came as U.S. and Iranian negotiators are set to meet in Islamabad on Saturday morning (local time) for the first round of their talks aimed at reaching a peace deal to end their war.

"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 on Truth Social.

The issue surrounding the strait is expected to top the agenda for negotiations between Washington and Tehran this weekend.

In the negotiations, the U.S. delegation will be represented by Vice President JD Vance; Steve Witkoff, the special envoy to the Middle East; and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, according to the White House.

The Iranian side will include Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr; Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, the parliamentary speaker; and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, TASS reported.

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