Trump says US opposes Strait of Hormuz tolls, vows to get uranium from Iran

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States opposes any tolls on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and also vowed that Iran will not be allowed to retain highly enriched uranium.

"We don't want tolls. It's an international waterway. They're not charging tolls right now," he told reporters at the White House.

Trump claimed that Iran is suffering major financial losses because of restrictions on shipping activity.

Asked whether Iran could retain its stockpile of highly enriched uranium under any future arrangement, he answered bluntly.

“No, we get the highly enriched; we will get it,” he said. “We don’t need it. We don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it.”

Trump reiterated that the US will not let Iran have a nuclear weapon.

"Right now, we're negotiating, and we'll see, but we're going to get it one way or the other. They're not going to have a nuclear weapon," he said.

Trump said the US is also monitoring reported negotiations between Iran and Oman over possible tolls in the Strait of Hormuz while asserting that US forces maintain complete control over maritime traffic in the strategic waterway.

Asked whether it would be acceptable for Iran to negotiate with Oman on formalizing toll charges for ships transiting the strait, he said: "Well, we're looking at it; we hear about it."

The New York Times reported late Thursday that Iran and Oman have discussed a potential system that would charge vessels fees for services linked to passage through the Strait of Hormuz rather than direct transit tolls.

According to the report, two people familiar with the discussions said Tehran was exploring mechanisms involving maritime service charges instead of payments solely for passage through the waterway.

The report also said that Oman, after initially rejecting a joint partnership with Iran over the strait, is now discussing a possible share of revenues tied to the proposed system. According to Iranian officials cited by the newspaper, Muscat could use its influence with Gulf states and the US to help advance the plan.

Bloomberg News, which first reported the talks, said Iran and Oman were emphasizing a legal distinction between tolls and service-related fees.

While international maritime law generally prohibits charging ships simply for transit through international straits, fees tied to services such as waste disposal or port-related assistance may be permitted under certain circumstances.

Trump went on to claim that the US has enforced an effective blockade in the region.

“We have total control of the Strait of Hormuz, as you know, with our blockade,” he said. “The blockade has been 100% effective. Nobody’s been able to get through. It’s like a steel wall."

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. Trump later extended the truce indefinitely while maintaining a blockade on vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz.