Us-Iran Tensions Rise Again? On Hormuz, Trump and Iran's Supreme Leader Say...

Summary: ① U.S. President Trump warned Iran to stop charging fees in the Strait of Hormuz; ② Iran's Supreme Leader stated that the management of the Strait of Hormuz will enter a new phase.

US President Trump said he was "optimistic" about reaching a deal with Iran, but then threatened Tehran, demanding it stop collecting fees in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Israel's attack on Lebanon and the continued closure of this vital waterway jeopardize the yet-to-begin US-Israel diplomatic talks.

According to CCTV News, on April 9th local time, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social,Warn Iran not to charge fees to oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

“There are reports that Iran is charging fees to oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz—they had better not do that; if they truly are doing so, they had better stop immediately!” he added.

In a subsequent post, Trump also said, "Because of me, Iran will never have nuclear weapons, and soon you will see oil flowing in large quantities, whether Iran is involved or not, it doesn't matter to me."

Recently, Trump said in an interview that Iranian leaders are "much more rational" than they publicly indicate. The U.S. president also said that during his call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Wednesday, he had asked Netanyahu to "be more low-key" in military operations in Lebanon, in order to support the U.S. diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire with Iran.

U.S.-Iran Peace Talks in Jeopardy?

"Double ceasefire" was only reached two days ago, but the situation continues to escalate, which is a "catastrophic start" for the upcoming U.S.-Iran talks.

According to reports from CCTV News and other media outlets, on the evening of the 9th local time, Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, issued a statement regarding the regional situation, stating that Iran would only consider negotiations if the United States ceased violating the ceasefire agreement; otherwise, the conflict would resume, and the Iranian people and armed forces are fully prepared for this.

On the same day, Iranian state television broadcast a statement by Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, emphasizing that Iran does not seek war but will not abandon its rights.The statement explicitly puts forward three positions: first, Iran will certainly seek “war reparations” from the aggressor and demand accountability for the blood of its martyrs; second, Iran will advance its management of the Strait of Hormuz to “a new stage”; and third, Iran will never relinquish its legitimate rights and will consider all regional “resistance fronts” as a unified whole.

The Strait of Hormuz - which Trump repeatedly urged Iran to reopen - remains effectively closed, with ship owners still awaiting clarity on its status. According to the latest reports, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran has instructed vessels to sail through Iranian waters near Larak Island to avoid the risk of mines in the usual shipping lanes in the Strait.

Media also quoted IRGC sources saying that all vessels must enter the strait north of Larak Island and exit south of the island, and this must be coordinated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.

However, the traffic through the strait remains far below pre-war levels. Ship tracking data shows that only seven ships passed through the strait in the past 24 hours, compared to around 140 normally. Data from Kpler, Lloyd's List Intelligence, and Signal Ocean indicates that this includes one product tanker and six dry bulk carriers.

Meanwhile, Lebanon also became the focal point of the conflict.

On the 9th local time, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi also stated that achieving a ceasefire in Lebanon is an important part of the understanding proposal for ceasefire negotiations put forward by Pakistan, and the United States has committed to stopping the war on all fronts. Any action or stance that goes against this commitment is equivalent to the United States failing to fulfill its promise.

In addition, a senior Iranian security official stated, "If the attacks on Lebanon do not stop, there will be no negotiations."

Another source said on the 10th that Iran has informed the mediation party Pakistan that the Iranian delegation will not participate in talks with the United States before a ceasefire is achieved in Lebanon.