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Donald Trump meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday (local time). [UPI]
Donald Trump meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday (local time). [UPI]

Donald Trump reversed his decision to impose a 20 percent transit toll on cargo carried by ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, announcing Tuesday that he would replace the fee with trade and investment agreements with Middle Eastern nations.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that "oil is flowing more freely than ever, thanks to the incredible strength of the US military," adding that "the Strait of Hormuz is open to all ships except those of Iran, thanks to every member of the most powerful military in the world." He then announced that "based on very productive conversations with Middle Eastern leaders, I have decided to replace the 20% US reimbursement fee with trade and investment agreements that several Gulf nations will enter into with the United States."

"The investment will be massive, but at the same time extremely beneficial to them and to their future," he said. He added that "we already have the largest dollar investment in America of any country in history, but with this new investment, that number will grow even larger, and factories, facilities and equipment will pour into the United States at a level never seen before, creating millions of additional high-paying American jobs."

The announcement reversed a toll plan Trump had unveiled the previous day through Truth Social posts and media interviews. Under that plan, the US military would have charged commercial vessels a fee in exchange for safe passage through the strait — a scheme that in effect mirrored Iran's own toll proposals, which the United States and the international community had previously condemned. The plan drew swift backlash internationally, particularly from Middle Eastern nations that export energy through the strait.

While Trump dropped the transit toll, he said a maritime blockade of Iran would proceed as planned. CENTCOM announced it would block all vessel traffic to and from Iranian ports and coastlines starting at 4 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday (5 a.m. Wednesday, Korean Standard Time).

Trump said Iran was excluded from Strait of Hormuz passage because of its "lying, violent and malicious leadership, which is leading Iran down a path of total destruction." He said the blockade "will be a full and complete one, but will only apply to ships going to and from Iranian ports or carrying goods related to Iranian cargo."

He also pressed Iran, saying "the days of Iran killing hundreds of thousands of people, including 52,000 protesters, are over," and that "above all, Iran will never have a nuclear weapon."


kate01@heraldcorp.com