Trump says Iran ‘better stop’ tolling oil tankers in Hormuz Strait

President Donald Trump on Thursday said that Iran “better stop now” if it is charging fees to oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump’s warning in a Truth Social post put even more strain on the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran less than two days after it began.

Trump said Tuesday evening that the U.S. would agree to a two-week suspension of hostilities against the Islamic Republic on the condition that it agree to “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.”

But vessel traffic through the strait, a vital artery for about 20% of the world’s oil supply, remains tightly throttled, as it has since the war began on Feb. 28.

Iran is meanwhile planning to charge shipping firms fees, to be paid in cryptocurrency, to allow their vessels to sail through the waterway, the Financial Times reported Wednesday.

“There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait,” Trump wrote in Thursday’s post.

“They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!” he wrote.

In a follow-up post, Trump said, “Because of me, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON and, very quickly, you’ll see Oil start flowing, with or without the help of Iran and, to me, it makes no difference, either way.”

Trump’s post also lashed out at The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board for writing that the president had declared victory against Iran prematurely. “Actually, it is a Victory, and there’s nothing “premature” about it!” he wrote.