Iran-US war latest: Trump says no Strait of Hormuz tolls or deal is off
The US and Iran continue to clash over terms despite an agreement to end the war
By Namita Singh
Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to abandon talks with Iran if it tries to impose tolls or other charges on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, as both sides continue to diverge on issues key to peace talks.
The US president said that Iran had informed the US that, despite reports to the contrary, there are “NO TOLLS, NO INSURANCE COSTS, & NO OTHER CHARGES OF ANY KIND BEING SOUGHT OR RECEIVED BY IRAN ON SHIPS TRAVELING THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ”.
“If this is false information, negotiations would end immediately,” Trump said in a post on social media. He went on to insist that the US would buy American food to send to Iran using frozen Iranian funds, after Iran said they would determine their spending.
Iran and the United States signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding last week setting out broad agreements in principle to end the war. The interim accord paved the way for 60 days of talks aimed at hammering out thornier details, including issues related to Iran's nuclear programme.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday that access to Iranian nuclear sites for inspections would only be addressed in the framework of a final agreement and after practical steps are taken to lift sanctions, after the US indicated Iran had agreed to allow inspections to resume.