President Donald Trump on Sunday said the United States will take control of the Strait of Hormuz, collecting tolls and 20% of the oil that flows through the waterway if negotiations between Washington and Tehran in Switzerland fall through.Vice President JD Vance is meeting with Iranian officials on Sunday to finalize the terms of a permanent ceasefire agreement beyond the 60 days agreed in a memorandum of understanding signed last week, at the center of which is the future of the Strait of Hormuz.Trump previously said there would be no tolls for the duration of the 60-day ceasefire and no tolls after it expires, “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America.”
Speaking with Fox News on Sunday morning, Trump said if no deal is made in Switzerland, “we may take over the strait if we have to” and called the U.S. the “guardian angel” of the oil artery, reiterating his remarks the day prior. He said the tolls would be repayment for protecting the waterway.Trump also said he spoke with Iranian officials overnight and threatened military action against Iran if Tehran closes the strait again, as it had done during the duration of the conflict.“You close it, and you won’t have a country,” the president told Iran. “You won’t even make it back to your f***ing country.”Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) offered a similar vision for the Strait of Hormuz if a deal is not reached, noting that he thinks diplomatic solutions will fail.The South Carolina Republican, who advocated escalated military action throughout the war, said he spoke to Trump and predicted the president would take over the strait by force if negotiations fell through.TRUMP SAYS ‘THERE WILL BE NO TOLLS’ IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ DURING OR AFTER 60-DAY CEASEFIRE“If this deal fails, President Trump is going to take the Strait of Hormuz over by force,” Graham said. “The United States will control the Strait of Hormuz. We’ll charge a fee for all those who go through to pay for the operation.”Graham added that the Abraham Accords, which establish diplomatic relations between Israel and several Middle Eastern nations, will extend to Saudi Arabia by the end of the year. If Iran contests control of the strait, Graham said, “the United States will obliterate them.”
