▲ U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian
U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 21 (local time) that "the United States will take control of the Strait of Hormuz if necessary and charge a toll if they (Iran) do not reach an agreement," according to a report by Fox News.
Trey Yingst, a correspondent for the network, reported that he spoke with President Trump for over 20 minutes earlier today, adding that the President also stated, "I will blow them away."
This pressure from President Trump comes just before a U.S. negotiating team, led by Vice President JD Vance, is set to hold follow-up high-level talks in Lucerne, Switzerland, with Iran under the mediation of Pakistan and Qatar, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on ending the war.
According to the report, President Trump described this potential "control of the strait" as the U.S. acting as a "guardian angel" in the Strait of Hormuz and the Middle East, stating, "Ultimately, the U.S. will take 20% of the oil passing through the strait (as a toll)."
Trump further noted that he "spoke with Iranian officials last night," telling them, "If you block the strait, you will not have a country, and you won't even be able to go back to your damn country."
Yingst noted that these remarks from President Trump should be understood as a response to Iran's announcement that it would (again) block the Strait of Hormuz in reaction to Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian militant group in Lebanon.
President Trump expressed a similar stance in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, yesterday.
He wrote, "There will be no tolls in the Strait of Hormuz during the 60-day ceasefire, and there will be no tolls after the 60 days expire," but added, "The exception is if a final agreement is not reached, in which case a toll will be imposed by and for the United States to recover costs incurred in the past, present, and future for the services the U.S. has provided as a guardian angel to Middle Eastern nations."
Additionally, Fox News reported that during his call with Yingst, President Trump addressed comments by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who insisted that Iran must maintain its right to enrich uranium, by saying, "He better watch his mouth," and adding, "If he doesn't straighten out, we will take over the rest of that country."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.