U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 15th (local time) that under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) reached with Iran to end the war, no tolls will be imposed for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said this during a Q&A at a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit that opened that day in the French resort town of Evian-les-Bains.
Trump said, "The most important thing is that Iran will not be able to have nuclear weapons," adding, "They fully agreed to this on the premise of strong monitoring authority, and they will not have nuclear weapons."
He added, "Hopefully we can maintain good relations with (Iran) and get along well," and said, "If not, we will go back to square one, but it doesn't seem like there will be a need for that."
On easing sanctions on Iran, he said it "depends on (Iran's) actions," adding, "If they do what needs to be done, (sanctions relief) will begin from that point." This is seen to mean that, unlike Iran's desire for immediate sanctions relief upon signing the MOU, the United States will ease sanctions in a corresponding manner based on Iran's future steps.
Asked whether he would attend the signing ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 19th, Trump said, "It depends on the situation," adding, "I plan to stay quite late, so I may or may not attend."
He is scheduled to stay in France through the 17th for the G7 and carry out his schedule. After finishing his schedule on the 17th, a dinner with Macron is also planned at the Palace of Versailles on the outskirts of Paris.
On when the full text of the MOU would be released, Trump said, "Probably soon," adding it would likely be "sometime after Friday (the 19th)," when the signing ceremony is held.
Asked what support he wanted from allies, he said, "I don't think we're going to need a lot of help," adding, "Because we reached an agreement that (the strait) will be open and that there are no tolls," stressing that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened "toll-free," as before the war.
He added, "So I don't think we'll need a lot of help, but it's not a bad idea for some countries to deploy a ship or two here," again saying, "I think open and free navigation will be possible."
Meanwhile, Iran's position conflicts with Trump's remarks. Earlier that day, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing a source, that the war-ending MOU between the United States and Iran recognizes Iran's right to collect a "passage fee" for the Strait of Hormuz.
The source said the final draft explicitly states that "future maritime navigation services in the Strait of Hormuz will be decided by Iran and Oman," and argued that, in particular, specifying the term "maritime services" means the United States has officially recognized Iran's right to collect fees.