Iranian minister mocks Trump over tolls for Hormuz strait passage

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday mocked US President Donald Trump over his vow to impose hefty charges on all cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran would charge a lower rate.

"POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service. Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair," Tehran's top diplomat wrote, in a social media post.

Earlier Trump said that the United States is "reinstating" a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and will charge other ships for safe passage. Iran has insisted it controls the critical waterway, as another exchange of fire threatened a return to all-out war.

The US had until now said the strait should remain open to all without tolls, as it was before the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb.28.

Any attempt by the US or Iran to charge fees would violate global norms on freedom of navigation and raise tensions, likely causing further economic disruption far beyond the region.

Exchanges of fire in recent days, sparked by Iranian attacks on ships, had already cast further doubt on the interim peace deal reached last month.

Washington lifted a blockade it imposed in mid-April as part of that deal, which also called for the strait to be fully reopened.

"We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE," Trump said on social media. "All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait."

The president said the US would be "reimbursed" by 20% of the value of cargo to help cover "any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security."

Iran asserts it has the right to manage traffic through the strait and potentially charge fees in accordance with the interim peace deal.

It has vowed to fight back against any US interference.

The International Maritime Organisation, the United Nations agency overseeing international shipping, said it was waiting to find out more about Trump's proposal but remained opposed to tolls for passage through international waterways.

"There is no legal basis through which to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait," it said in a statement.

A fifth of the world's oil and gas passed through the strait before Iran effectively shut it down at the start of the war, driving up global prices of energy, fertiliser and other goods.

Traffic had picked up after last month's agreement, but remained well below prewar levels.

The US military said it struck dozens of sites on Monday in response to an Iranian attack on a container ship the day before, including air defense systems, radar sites, missile and drone equipment, and small boats. It said it used drone ships to hit an Iranian ship maintenance facility and submarine on Sunday, calling it a first.

Agencies