President Donald Trump said he was open to working with Iran to collect fees from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, even calling the idea “a beautiful thing.” But less than 24 hours later, he reversed course and warned Iran to stop charging tolls immediately, adding more pressure to an already fragile ceasefire between the two countries.
The ceasefire, reached late Tuesday night on April 7, came just hours before Trump’s 8 p.m. deadline. Trump had threatened that Iran’s “whole civilization will die tonight” if a deal was not reached. Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply passes. According to CNBC, the agreement came after nearly six weeks of fighting that badly disrupted global energy markets.
