The White House declared Wednesday that restoring unimpeded passage through the Strait of Hormuz — free of any fees or conditions — is among President Donald Trump’s most pressing foreign policy objectives, as Tehran moves to assert greater control over the critical waterway.
“The immediate priority of the president is the reopening of the strait without any limitations, whether in the form of tolls or otherwise,” spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
The announcement comes as Iran has been pushing to institutionalize its influence over the strait by introducing charges on vessels transiting the passage — a proposal that has emerged alongside ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Tehran, Washington, and Israel. In a notable aside, Trump floated the idea of a joint U.S.-Iran arrangement to collect such tolls, though Leavitt’s statement made clear that any restriction on movement remains unacceptable to the administration.
Roughly a fifth of the world’s seaborne crude oil and liquefied natural gas moves through the Strait of Hormuz, making it one of the most consequential chokepoints in global energy markets.
