US president Donald Trump said on Saturday that Washington could impose tolls on vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz if a final agreement with Iran is not reached, describing the potential charges as payment for US security services in the region.Trump said no tolls would be levied during the 60-day ceasefire period established under the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreed between the United States and Iran to end hostilities in the Middle East.“There will be NO TOLLS in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period, and there will be NO TOLLS after the 60 day period has expired, unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed, for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs,” Trump said through a post on Truth Social.The development comes as Iran said on Saturday that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israel’s attacks in Lebanon, while warning that upcoming talks with the United States in Switzerland were unlikely to yield significant progress unless the fighting comes to an end. Iranian officials indicated that continued hostilities in Lebanon would undermine efforts to advance the interim agreement reached with Washington.US Vice President JD Vance departed for Switzerland on Saturday evening as Iranian state television broadcast footage of Tehran’s negotiating team arriving in the country. The delegation includes Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as well as senior central bank and oil officials. Under the agreement, billions of dollars in Iranian assets are set to be unfrozen.The talks were originally scheduled to begin on Friday but were delayed after Iran initially withdrew from the process due to escalating fighting in Lebanon. US and regional officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said negotiators from the United States and Qatar, with assistance from Iran, helped broker an arrangement between Israel and Hezbollah aimed at reducing hostilities, as cited by AP.Speaking to reporters before his departure, Vance said he expected to remain in Switzerland “for a day or two” and expressed optimism about progress in both the nuclear negotiations and efforts to secure a ceasefire in southern Lebanon.Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said negotiations on a final agreement would begin once key commitments are fulfilled. If those commitments are not met, “the memorandum of understanding as a whole will be jeopardized.”Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian virtually signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday aimed at ending hostilities between the two countries, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and paving the way for negotiations on a broader agreement, including talks over Iran’s nuclear programme.
