Iran Will Not Toll Hormuz Passage, Trump Says

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran had assured the United States it would not charge fees to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The statement came after the first round of talks between Washington and Tehran, which concluded on Monday in Switzerland. The two sides continue to hold differing views on several issues, however, including financial incentives for Iran, control over the Strait of Hormuz and Israel's war in Lebanon. These are key points of the framework agreement signed last week with the aim of ending the conflict in the Middle East.

Trump is also facing criticism at home over the agreement, including from the hardline wing of the Republican Party.

"Iran has informed the U.S. that, despite troublemaking Fake News reporting to the contrary, there are 'NO TOLLS, NO INSURANCE COSTS, & NO OTHER CHARGES OF ANY KIND BEING SOUGHT OR RECEIVED BY IRAN ON SHIPS TRAVELING THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ", the president wrote on social media.

He warned, however, that if the claim proved false, the negotiations would end immediately.

(Reuters, bak)