U.S. President Donald Trump said he received Iran's official position that it is not currently collecting any passage expense in connection with ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump on the 24th (local time) posted on the social media platform Truth Social that, contrary to some media reports, Iran told the United States it "does not charge or collect any expense such as a toll or insurance fee at the chokepoint in Hormuz."
At the same time, Trump emphasized, "If this is false, the negotiations will be halted immediately."
Trump also drew a line under suspicions over the outflow of Iran's overseas frozen funds, saying, "The United States has neither provided any money to Iran nor released Iran's frozen funds."
Trump said, "We will pay part of the Iranian funds that the United States fully controls to our farmers and ranchers to be used to purchase corn, wheat and soybeans," adding, "Iran is in urgent need of food, and we will purchase only U.S. food for them."
Earlier, the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that the United States and Iran signed to end hostilities included a pledge to reopen the Strait of Hormuz without expense for 60 days while follow-up nuclear talks continued. Trump has maintained that the strait should continue to remain open free of charge even after that deadline passes.
Iran, on the other hand, has indicated it will unilaterally control the strait based on international legal standards and appears to be taking practical steps to collect tolls.