Iran has been letting through few vessels while the US navy has been blockading Iranian ports since April 13. That’s caused energy prices to soar and sparked a global selloff of government bonds as inflationary pressures mount.

Amin-Nejad insisted that traffic hasn’t been completely interrupted and Iran has claimed, without giving evidence, that 26 tankers and other ships transited between Tuesday and Wednesday with the help of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

That would be an unusually high number for recent weeks, but still far below pre-war levels of roughly 135 ships a day.

Amin-Nejad blamed exorbitant insurance costs for the decline, though shipping companies say the risk of missile and drone attacks, as well as hitting sea mines, is the main problem. Most say they won’t send vessels through the strait until the war’s over.

Iran and the US agreed to a fragile ceasefire on April 8 and are exchanging messages via Pakistan about a peace deal. The warring sides still seem far apart and have both said in recent days they’re prepared to resume hostilities.

The Hormuz strait is a key sticking point, with Europe and Gulf Arab states such as Saudi Arabia also saying Iran cannot have control over a chokepoint that has always been treated like international waters.

Now, Iran has expanded its claimed area of jurisdiction and set out new rules for vessels seeking to transit the waterway, which is roughly 24 miles (39 kilometers) wide at the narrowest point. That involves seafarers dealing with a new body called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority and sometimes getting payment requests of as much as $2 million for safe passage.

Iran says countries including China and South Korea have coordinated with the IRGC’s navy to get their vessels through. Neither country has confirmed that and Iran hasn’t said if they were charged.

Trump has gone from suggesting the US itself could start charging fees to telling Iran it “better not be” thinking of tolls. At one point, he even said there could be a US-Iran joint venture for the strait.

The head of the United Arab Emirates’ main oil company underscored the concerns of Iran’s Arab neighbors when he said a “dangerous precedent” was being set with Hormuz.

“Once you accept that a single country can hold the world’s most important waterway hostage, freedom of navigation as we know it is finished,” Sultan Al Jaber said on Wednesday. “If we do not defend this principle today, we will spend the next decade defending against the consequences.”

Amin-Nejad downplayed tensions with the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The countries conducted separate, covert attacks against Iran before the ceasefire, Bloomberg reported. Those were in response to Iran firing thousands of drones and missiles at them and other states such as Qatar and Bahrain.

“The most painful or difficult moments for us were those when we had no choice but to attack military bases located on the soil of those countries, from which Iranian territory was being attacked,” Amin-Nejad said, adding that “accumulated misunderstandings” could be easily solved once the war stops.

Many of Iran’s projectiles targeted civilian areas and non-military sites such as ports and oil refineries.

The ambassador said the US underestimated Iran’s resilience.

“Their analysis was based on the belief that by putting pressure on the Iranian people, through sanctions and a sort of total embargo, they would be able to completely resolve the issue within three or four days,” he said. “They imagined that Iran was a second Venezuela,” a reference to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January.

Where is the EU's leadership in supporting international rules based order?

>Trump alienates countries traditionally allies of US
>previous US allies have nothing to do with a war started by that which previously made as a campaign platform in 2024 'No More Foreign Wars'
>MAGAts: *shocked Pikachu face*
>based EU
ftfy

>>1516167
Arresting it's citizens for expressing their opinions openly. Therefore they stand with China, Iran and Russia.

>Russia
With UK gifting Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, they'll be sent as gifts to Ivans, thus denying them of the right to exist in a country they never had the right to exist in the first place.
Why can't Putin accept the opinions of Russia's citizens with opinions different to his? Why can't he say to them - other than eliminating those who want to express their opinions that just happen to be different to his - 'I disgree with what you say, but will defend to my death your right to say it'?

None of this is bad for Trump. He is making money off of it, as he always has. A big part of his '16 campaign was bragging that he took advantage of the 2008 crash and made money off it. A key part of the debates against Hillary was Trump saying, "The system is rigged and I can prove it, because I worked the system and made a profit." Hillary was forced to try to refute this and failed.

Mind you, it's bad for the US. But it's not bad for Trump. His followers only care about him and not about themselves or their country.

>>1516178
This. Trump and his cronies are making millions if not billions of dollars through their actions.

Meanwhile the average American is suffering and slipping into poverty.

Trump, his handlers, and his enablers have weakened the country so they can plunder it, but that has left the US weakened on the world stage which allows other countries to gain immense power at our expense.

>>1516176
God you're esl

>>1516178
>>1516180
Well democrats can follow what minnisotia did and undercut how trump is engaging in war profiteering.
>>1515555

>>1516161
>telling Iran it “better not be” thinking of tolls
They're doing more than just thinking about tolls, but are implementing what is more than just an idea.
But then you can't think, Trump.

>>1516167
The EU will pay the toll. It’s a dollar per barrel, it’s not much.

>>1516297
This
ultimately, this isn't that big of a deal when you consider there are billions trapped in the strait.

So you make Iran a world superpower, who in the EU gives a shit. The only people who care is Israel and their Amerigolem attack dogs

>>1516177
same reason Trump can't: backing down is admissions of weakness and signs he's not "winning". both of them, all psychopaths, only back down when they get to spin it as a win and there's no way for either of them to admit either the strait is lost or Ukraine can't be conquered while keeping their stature. Their party would abandon them, and the opposition would eviscerate them. It's a matter of life and death for them after effectively going this far. Saying "actually all of this was for nothing!" would be their death sentences.

>>1516301
The price of oil is way higher than a dollar per barrel more than at the start of this war.
The other thing is the Saudis can bypass the strait via pipeline to the Red Sea, the pipeline and port were both attacked by Iran which they wouldn’t have done if not for the war and which they may not do if there’s peace and they’re making their money from the toll.
If the war in Ukraine ends there can be work done on the shipping canal system between the Black and Caspian seas.
The more I think about it the less important the Hormuz strait actually is, like it’s 20% ok but it could be 15% or even less, globally. It’s only crucial for the Gulf countries really and even then not all of those.
I’m convinced the Americans have no idea what they’re doing and the only thing they care about is helping Israel with their expansion regardless of the cost and with the ends fully justifying the means

>>1516309
>the gulf countries
There’s 7 of them;
>Iraq
Iran have already stated that Iraq will have toll-free passage for all shipping.
>Kuwait
They rely 100% on shipping through the strait.
>Saudi Arabia
Mostly rely on the strait but also have port facilities on the Red Sea and can pipeline some of their crude across to there.
>Bahrain
100% rely on the strait.
>Qatar
100% rely on the strait.
>UAE
100% rely on the strait.
>Oman
Will share control over the strait with Iran, also aren’t totally reliant upon it as they have ports on the Arabian Sea coast.

The nations that are totally reliant on the strait have a choice to make, they’ve to decide whether to continue being vassals of the US or they can pivot towards Iran. They are between a rock and a hard place.

>>1516320
>Oman
>Will share control over the strait with Iran, also aren’t totally reliant upon it as they have ports on the Arabian Sea coast
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oman%E2%80%93United_Kingdom_relations
'The relations between the United Kingdom and Oman are strong and strategic'
'In 2022, the United Kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Oman is a member, opened up negotiations for the Gulf Cooperation Council–United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement one of the first post-Brexit trade agreements negotiated by the UK'
>previous Sultan of Oman: so pro-UK, bought the property next to Clarence House, residence of King Charles III's grandmother, they were good friends
'In April 2010 the government of Oman stated that it wanted to buy Eurofighter Typhoons from the UK. BAE Systems and Oman signed an agreement in December 2012, valued at £2.5 billion, for the delivery of 12 Eurofighter Typhoon jets along with 8 BAE Systems Hawk training jets'
>BAE Systems: a major supplier to US Department of Defense
You're going to have to be good friends with UK's PM, Trump. That means no tariffs against UK allowed. And UK supplies Ukraine with Ivan-obliterating Storm Shadow missiles.

>>1516322
Cool, so maybe the UK will get tollfree passage if Oman asks Iran very nicely.

>>1516334
Exactly. And if Trump asks UK's PM really, REALLY nicely, perhaps UK might sell some of their cheaper oil to USA.

>Oman
So a country in the middle east that has UK as a major long-time ally has you by the balls, Trump. Good

>>1516159
>In Massive Defeat for Trump Oman now in Talks with Iran for Permanent Hormuz Toll System
Thus Trump is further done for. Oh man.

>>1516483
Assuming it's not more market manipulation for war profiteering, which is is.
trump is caving to the Iranians claiming a deal is being struck.

>>1516483
>>1516485
>Save us *checks notes*... Oman...

>>1516485
>trump is caving to the Iranians claiming a deal is being struck.
He's been claiming that for fucking months. Iran has already said they have no fucking idea what he's talking about.

I don’t see why Oman would not want to be in on this toll scheme.

>>1516489
Which is why there's only 2 outcomes whenever trump claims there's a deal.
>He caved and surrendered to Iran
>He's lying to engage in more war profiteering.