Trump: We’ll Halt Talks if Iran Is Charging Ships to Pass Through the Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump said today (Tuesday) that, in his view, there is no need for immediate action to locate Iran’s nuclear materials. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said that "there is no need to rush to reach Iran’s nuclear materials because they are buried underground."

Trump’s remarks came alongside statements from Iranian officials, who declared that at this stage there is no intention of allowing access to the nuclear facilities that were attacked. According to him, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi requested a meeting with the Iranian delegation during its stay in Switzerland, but no such meeting took place.

This statement came in contrast to Grossi’s own remarks, in which he said that inspections are an inseparable part of the memorandum of understanding signed between the U.S. and Iran, and estimated that it is only a matter of timing: "Whether it happens the day after tomorrow, in a week, or in ten days, that is important but not critical. It is going to happen."

At the same time, firm messages were also heard from Tehran regarding the status of the Strait of Hormuz. Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the National Security Committee in the Iranian parliament, wrote on X that "we respect our friends in the region, and we also know that they are afraid of the U.S., but the Islamic Republic of Iran is an independent country and is not influenced by others."

Rezaei added that "the Strait of Hormuz will remain Iranian forever. We did not capture this strait through negotiations only to hand it over now through negotiations. That is all."

Trump released another statement addressing reports about ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz and issued a clear warning about the future of talks with Iran. According to him, Iran told the U.S. that, despite "the inflammatory and problematic fake news reports claiming otherwise, there are no transit fees, no insurance costs, and no other payment or charge of any kind that Iran demands or receives from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz."

The American president emphasized that if it turns out this information is not true, it will have a direct impact on the continuation of contacts between the two countries. "If it turns out that this is incorrect information, the negotiations will be terminated immediately!"