Trump in a sudden turn – receives threatening response

Hans Österman

Published 00.42

        

        Donald Trump. Photo: Alex Brandon /AP/TT

First Trump said that Iran and the US could levy joint tariffs in the strait.

Then he turned and issued a warning.

Iran responds with a threat that “time is running out”.

When the US and Iran agreed on a ceasefire and upcoming negotiations on Wednesday night, Donald Trump presented two cornerstones of the agreement:

A two-week ceasefire and the opening of oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

It has gone like this.

Only ten ships have passed through the important waterway, according to data from Marine Traffic. Iran has also announced that the number of passages will be limited to a dozen a day and that they will be subject to tariffs. According to the first leaks on Wednesday, Oman would also be allowed to levy tariffs.

The unclear developments led to falling stock markets and rising oil prices on Thursday.

Donald Trump himself has contributed to the confusion with vague statements.

When asked by ABC News on Wednesday morning if he was okay with Iran charging tariffs in the Strait, the answer was:

- We are considering doing it as a joint project. It is a way to secure the Strait - also from many other people.

Trump's turnaround

On Thursday evening, things suddenly sounded completely different. On his Truth Social platform, Trump posted a post that does not match his previous statement.

"There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz - they should stop doing that, and if they do, they should stop immediately!"

Just over an hour later, he followed up with a new message:

"Iran is doing a very poor job, some would say shameful, when it comes to letting oil pass through the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement we have."

Different messages

Ever since the announced ceasefire, the language used around the strait has differed between the countries.

In his first post, Trump wrote that Iran had agreed to the opening being “complete, immediate and secure”.

However, that same night, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed himself as follows:

“For two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible through coordination with Iran’s armed forces and with due regard for technical limitations”.

Iran’s threatening response

The negotiations between the US and Iran are to be held in Pakistan this weekend. However, after Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran has claimed that the agreement has already been broken.

Israel and the US claim that Hezbollah was never part of the ceasefire, but Iran insists.

On Tuesday evening, Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf issued a threat on X:

“Time is running out,” he wrote, adding an emoji depicting an hourglass.

In the post, he also shared a screenshot that says Lebanon and the entire so-called ceasefire are included in the ceasefire. The text also states that violations of the ceasefire will be followed by a “strong response.”

According to media reports, Ghalibaf and Araghchi will make up the Iranian delegation during the negotiations in Islamabad. The US is represented by Vice President JD Vance, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff.