President Donald Trump said yesterday that the United States opposes any tolls on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and vowed that Iran will not be allowed to retain highly enriched uranium, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
“We don't want tolls. It's an international waterway. They're not charging tolls right now,” Trump told the reporters at the White House.
Trump claimed Iran is suffering major financial losses because of restrictions on shipping activity.
Asked whether Iran could retain its stockpile of highly enriched uranium under any future arrangement, Trump answered bluntly.
“No, we get the highly enriched; we will get it. We don’t need it. We don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it,” Trump said.
Trump reiterated that the US will not let Iran have a nuclear weapon.
“Right now, we're negotiating, and we'll see, but we're going to get it one way or the other. They're not going to have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Trump said the US is monitoring reported negotiations between Iran and Oman over possible tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, while asserting that US forces maintain complete control over maritime traffic in the strategic waterway.
Asked whether it would be acceptable for Iran to negotiate with Oman on formalising toll charges for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said: “Well, we're looking at it; we hear about it.”
Blockade
Trump went on to claim that the US has enforced an effective blockade in the region.
“We have total control of the Strait of Hormuz, as you know, with our blockade.
“The blockade has been 100 per cent effective. Nobody’s been able to get through. It’s like a steel wall,” Trump said.
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb 28.
Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement.
Trump later extended the truce indefinitely while maintaining a blockade on vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Bernama
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