US President Donald Trump refuted claims that Iran is imposing tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, labeling them as “fake news.” He stated that Iran assured the U.S. that no charges are being levied on vessels using the waterway.
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US President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed reports that Iran is charging tolls in the Strait of Hormuz as “fake news.” However, Trump said that Tehran had assured Washington that no tolls, insurance fees or other payments were being sought from vessels using the crucial waterway. Meanwhile, the US President issued a warning of ending negotiations if Iran’s information turned out to be false. He also shared details about how the US would use Iranian funds.
“Iran has informed the U.S. that, despite troublemaking Fake News reporting to the contrary, there are “NO TOLLS, NO INSURANCE COSTS, & NO OTHER CHARGES OF ANY KIND BEING SOUGHT OR RECEIVED BY IRAN ON SHIPS TRAVELING THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. If this is false information, negotiations would end, immediately!,” the US President said in his Truth Social post.
On Tuesday, Trump claimed that 19 millions barrels of oil flowed out of the Hormuz Strait on Monday, which was an all time record. “Oil prices are tumbling down, and the world is a much safer place,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Reports surfaced that Hormuz was closed over the weekend, while US Central Command said the strait remained open to ships, sowing confusion about the status of the sea lane. On Monday, the US formally waived sanctions on Iranian oil for a 60-day period, in line with the memorandum of understanding agreed to by Washington and Tehran last week.
Trump On Iranian Funds:
Trump also rejected reports that the United States had released funds directly to Iran as part of the proposed deal. However, he said the United States plans to use Iranian funds under its control to purchase essential food items, including corn, wheat, and soybeans, from American farmers for the Iranian people.
“Additionally, no money has been given to Iran, or released from their money to them, by the U.S. We will be releasing some of their money, that is totally controlled by us, to our Farmers and Ranchers, for the purchase of Corn, Wheat, Soybeans, and more. Food is desperately needed in Iran, and we will be purchasing it for them exclusively from the United States,” the US President stated.
