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In brief
- US president Donald Trump has accused Iran of doing a “very poor job” reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
- In the same barrage of social media posts, Trump warned Iran not to impose a toll on ships traversing the strait.
President Donald Trump has criticized Iran, accusing it of failing to manage oil passage through the Strait of Hormuz effectively and violating a recently agreed two-week ceasefire.
In a series of posts on social media, which have reignited concerns about the fragile peace, Trump cautioned Iran against levying any charges on vessels navigating the vital maritime route.
“Iran is handling the passage of oil through the Strait of Hormuz very poorly, some might even say dishonorably,” Trump stated on his Truth Social platform on Friday.
“This is not part of our agreement!”
Following the announcement of a two-week truce on Wednesday, both Iran and the United States had agreed to reopen the strategic 167-kilometer strait connecting the Gulf with the Indian Ocean.
But just 10 vessels have passed through since the Middle East war ceasefire took effect, according to maritime tracking data.
Tensions have risen further after Iran suggested imposing a toll on ships — though Trump has made similar suggestions and even aired joint tolls with Tehran.
“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 said in an earlier Truth Social message.
In yet another post in which he raged at a critical media editorial on the ceasefire, Trump added that “very quickly, you’ll see Oil start flowing, with or without the help of Iran”.
The US leader’s tone appeared to darken noticeably from earlier comments to NBC News in which he said he was “very optimistic” about a peace deal with Iran after their ceasefire, and that Israel was “scaling back” strikes in Lebanon.
Trump told the US broadcaster in a telephone interview that Iran’s leaders were “much more reasonable” in private but added that “if they don’t make a deal, it’s going to be very painful”.
US vice president JD Vance is due to hold talks with Iran in Pakistan on Saturday. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are also travelling to Islamabad.
“The president is optimistic that a deal can be reached that can lead to lasting peace in the Middle East,” White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Agence France-Presse in a statement on Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had meanwhile agreed in a call with Trump on Thursday to “low-key it” with Lebanon after devastating strikes, the US president said.
Israel and Lebanon will hold talks in Washington next week, a State Department official said.
Israel’s heaviest strikes on Lebanon since Hezbollah entered the Middle East war in early March killed hundreds on Wednesday, rattling the uneasy truce between the US and Iran less than 48 hours after it came into force.
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