US President Donald Trump has accused Iran of mishandling the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, in a Truth Social post that casts fresh doubt on the two-week ceasefire reached this week.
“Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Thursday evening. “That is not the agreement we have!”
In a separate post earlier in the day, Trump warned Iran against charging transit fees on ships moving through the strait. “They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!” he said.
The White House supports reopening the strait under the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire deal but opposes Iran’s military, which controls the waterway, raising revenue by levying tolls on passing vessels.
Trump separately wrote that all US ships, aircraft and military personnel “will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with”, warning that any breach would trigger a response “bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before”. Iran has said safe passage through Hormuz would be “subject to coordination with its armed forces”.
Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply transits the strait. Continued restrictions or partial reopening could keep refined-product premiums elevated even after crude prices retreated post-ceasefire — a concern for fuel-importing economies including Sri Lanka, where rationing measures remain in place.
Sources: Ada Derana, CNBC.
