President Trump announced today that he has reversed his demand for a 20% security fee on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to Asaf Rozentzweig (N12). Instead, Trump said he will replace the fee with investment and trade agreements with Gulf states, marking a shift from the earlier proposed toll.
This afternoon, President Trump made official his reversal of the proposed 20% Strait of Hormuz toll, announcing that he will instead pursue investment and trade agreements with Gulf states, according to Asaf Rozentzweig (N12). The announcement came shortly after The Zioneer reported that Trump had signaled the reversal in a closed-door meeting, citing stability as the priority. The shift marks the culmination of a rapid sequence of statements and reports that unfolded over the past few hours.
The story began with an unconfirmed report from an unnamed American media outlet that Trump was serious about imposing the 20% fee (v1, 14:59 Jerusalem). Within minutes, multiple Israeli journalists reported Trump's withdrawal: first a general announcement (v2), then his explanation that 'very useful' talks with Mideast leaders led to replacing the fee with 'massive' trade and investment deals (v3, 14:59). Subsequent reports added specificity: partners offered billions in US investment (v5, 14:59), kings and emirs pledged billions (v6, 14:59), and Trump confirmed the fee was waived after Gulf leaders promised investment (v7, 14:59). The closed-door report citing stability (v8, 14:59) added final detail before the official statement.
The development follows The Zioneer's earlier coverage of the evolving US stance on the Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, The Zioneer reported that Trump had reversed course, indicating the blockade would proceed without a toll fee after 'fruitful' regional talks. Later on Tuesday, a bulletin noted Trump clarified that the naval blockade applies only to ships linked to Iran. The shift to investment deals aligns with earlier indications that Gulf leaders had pledged economic investment in exchange for dropping the fee.
It remains unclear what form the investment and trade agreements will take, and whether Iran will respond to the new arrangement. The status of the naval blockade on Iranian-linked ships, as clarified earlier, remains in effect.
8 developments
- StrongTrump clarifies Strait of Hormuz blockade applies only to Iranian-linked ships
- StrongTrump warns he may impose Strait of Hormuz tolls if no Iran deal in 60 days
- StrongTrump says tankers are sailing out of Strait of Hormuz, contradicting Iranian reports
- DevelopingBarak Betesh (i24NEWS) scrutinizes Trump’s claim on toll-free Hormuz, noting Iran switched to insurance fee instead
Source and signal
- Internal intake