Trump says Iran 'better stop' if charging tanker fees in Strait of Hormuz

▲ 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)

Trump-Hormuz Strait

Trump says Iran 'better stop' if charging tanker fees in Strait of Hormuz

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran had "better stop now" if it is charging fees to oil tankers traversing the crucial Strait of Hormuz, amid concerns that a two-week ceasefire in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran appears to be on shaky ground.

Trump issued the warning in a social media post 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.

On Tuesday, Trump announced the two-week ceasefire deal with Iran, saying that it is "subject to" Tehran's "complete, immediate and safe" opening of the waterway.

Iran has been asserting its control of the strait as its key strategic lever as its restrictions on traffic through the waterway led to a rise in oil prices and fueled concerns about higher inflation. The strait is responsible for about a fifth of the world's oil supply.

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