'Why Shouldn't We?': Trump Says US Should Impose Tolls On Strait Of Hormuz Instead Of Iran

Last Updated:April 07, 2026, 00:22 IST

The strategic waterway supplying 20% of the world's crude oil and gas has been virtually shut since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February.

US President Donald Trump on Monday suggested that the United States should impose tolls on vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz instead of Iran, insisting that Tehran had been militarily defeated in the ongoing war.

Addressing a press conference in the White House, Trump said, “What about us charging tolls? I’d rather do that than let them have it. Why shouldn’t we? We’re the winner. We won. OK? They’re military defeated."

The strategic waterway supplying 20% of the world’s crude oil and gas has been virtually shut since the US-Israeli attack on Iran in February. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the waterway remains under its “full and decisive control," while dismissing recent proposals by US President Donald Trump to reopen the key shipping route.

Iran’s Parliament has approved a new management plan for the Strait of Hormuz that proposes tolls on vessels and restrictions on certain countries, according to Iranian state media.

Reopening Strait Of Hormuz

Trump said reopening the Strait of Hormuz must be included in the proposal to end the war. “We have to have a deal that’s acceptable to me, and part of that deal is going to be we want free traffic of oil and everything," he said.

“We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again. I mean, complete demolition by 12 o’clock, and it’ll happen over a period of four hours if we want it to. We don’t want that to happen."

Trump also said he would not extend his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, calling Iran’s peace proposal significant but not good enough. Critics have said Trump would be committing war crimes if the US attacked ​civilian power plants, but Trump said he was “not at all" concerned about that.

The Iranian response consisted of 10 clauses, including an end to conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, lifting of sanctions and reconstruction, as per reports.

News world 'Why Shouldn't We?': Trump Says US Should Impose Tolls On Strait Of Hormuz Instead Of Iran

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