Trump issues warning to Tehran if US-Iran peace talks collapse

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has declared that no maritime tolls will be levied on vessels navigating the vital Strait of Hormuz during or after the newly brokered 60-day interim ceasefire with Iran.

In a high-stakes warning on his Truth Social, he said that Washington reserves the right to impose its own financial penalties should the ongoing peace talks in Switzerland collapse.

“There will be NO TOLLS in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period, and there will be NO TOLLS after the 60 day period has expired,” Trump wrote in a late-night post.

He quickly turned the screws on regional players, adding that tolls would only be enacted if they are “imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed.”

He justified potential future fees as a bill for “services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs.”

The announcement comes at a highly delicate moment, hitting global airwaves just as technical delegations from the US and Iran sit down under Pakistani and Qatari mediation in Bürgenstock, Switzerland.

By threatening to turn the Strait of Hormuz — the world’s most crucial oil chokepoint — into a US-controlled toll zone if diplomacy fails, Trump has effectively drawn a financial and military line in the sand.

Diplomatic observers note that while the statement guarantees immediate smooth sailing for global energy markets during the 60-day truce, it places immense pressure on Iranian negotiators to finalise a permanent peace treaty or face a crushing American maritime blockade.

In another post, Trump said: “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!”