Strait of Hormuz crisis escalates: U.S. warning to Iran and moves to de-escalate in Lebanon

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran against imposing any fees on cargo ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, following Tehran’s agreement to reopen this vital waterway under a temporary two-week ceasefire deal.

In a post on the Truth Social platform, Trump referred to reports about fees being imposed on oil tankers, stressing that Iran would be better off not taking such a step and urging it to stop immediately if it had already begun doing so. He described the behavior as “very bad” and inconsistent with the understandings reached between the two sides.

In a subsequent post, the U.S. president stressed that oil flows would resume quickly, whether with Iran’s help or without it, in a message reflecting Washington’s determination to ensure the continuity of global oil supplies.

Trump had earlier expressed optimism about the possibility of reaching a peace agreement with Iran, noting that Iranian officials appeared more flexible in private talks than in their public positions. At the same time, however, he warned of harsh consequences if negotiations failed, saying that the absence of an agreement would make matters “very painful.”

Regarding the situation in Lebanon, Trump said he had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reduce the pace of military strikes, telling NBC News: “I spoke with him, and he will work to lessen the intensity of the operations. I believe it is necessary to adopt a greater degree of calm at this stage.”

For his part, Netanyahu announced his agreement to hold direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible, explaining that the decision came in response to Lebanese requests and that the anticipated talks would focus on the issue of disarming Hezbollah, in addition to exploring ways to establish peaceful relations between the two neighboring countries.