Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
US President Donald Trump said no tolls will be charged for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz during the 60-day ceasefire period. He, however, left open the possibility of a Hormuz toll levied by the United States “for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East” if a peace deal is not completed.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that no tolls would be imposed after the period ends unless the United States chooses to levy them if a broader deal is not completed, citing America’s role as a “Guardian Angel” for Middle East countries.
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“There will be NO TOLLS in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period, and there will be NO TOLLS after the 60 day period has expired, unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed, for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs,” he wrote in a social media post on Truth Social.
The US President, however, did not react to reports of Iran’s claims that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz over alleged Israeli violations of the Lebanon ceasefire.
IRAN DECLARES HORMUZ CLOSED
Despite a 60-day ceasefire agreed by Washington and Tehran to facilitate negotiations, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Saturday declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, escalating tensions just days after an interim agreement brokered by Pakistan was signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to end nearly four months of conflict.
The IRGC warned vessels to stay away from the strategic waterway, citing what it described as Israeli actions in Lebanon and a US failure to uphold ceasefire commitments. It said ships entering the strait would do so at their own risk.
The announcement heightened concerns over global energy supplies, given the Strait of Hormuz’s importance as a conduit for oil and gas exports. However, US Central Command said 55 merchant vessels transited the passage on Saturday, carrying more than 17 million barrels of oil and other cargo, and pledged to ensure the continued flow of commercial shipping.
Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said the United States had failed to uphold the first clause of a 14-point interim agreement requiring a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon.
Writing on X, Mokhber warned that Middle East energy supplies would remain halted until the agreement was implemented in practice. His remarks came amid renewed clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, casting fresh doubt on the durability of the Lebanon truce.
LEBANON CEASEFIRE UNDER STRAIN
One of the key conditions for launching 60 days of US-Iran talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme and other issues was a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon.
But just hours after the truce took effect, Lebanon’s Civil Defence said Israeli strikes killed 20 people across the country on Saturday.
Israel said its military actions were in response to attacks by Hezbollah, while the Iran-backed group said it would not grant Israel “freedom of movement” in Lebanon, highlighting the fragility of the ceasefire.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli warplanes and drones carried out strikes across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on Saturday, areas widely regarded as Hezbollah strongholds.
An Israeli military official said Hezbollah launched more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon overnight, prompting retaliatory strikes on what Israel described as Hezbollah targets.
The Israeli military said it remained committed to the ceasefire but would continue to respond to any threat against Israel or its forces.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed 4,057 people, including women, children and medical personnel, although the ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Israeli authorities, meanwhile, say at least 32 soldiers and four civilians have been killed in hostilities involving Hezbollah.
MOMENTUM BUILDS FOR US-IRAN TALKS IN SWITZERLAND
Meanwhile, a senior Iranian delegation left for Switzerland on Saturday for peace talks with the United States, according to Iranian state media, while US Vice President JD Vance was en route to the country for negotiations scheduled to begin on Sunday.
The Iranian team was headed by chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and included Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, along with senior officials from the country’s security establishment, central bank and oil sector, state media reported.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran would use the talks to press for the implementation of commitments under the agreement, pointing to what he described as a history of the other side failing to honour its obligations.
Speaking before his departure, Vance said he hoped the negotiations would deliver progress on both “the nuclear issue” and “the Lebanon ceasefire issue.”
The US vice president said the situation in Lebanon was showing signs of improvement despite recent tensions.
“Despite the headlines, things are actually getting better there (in Lebanon), and things are slowing down a little bit,” Vance said. “It’s going to be something we’re just going to have to continuously manage to ensure that Israel and Lebanon are both safe and secure.”
Vance earlier told Fox News he was confident the ceasefire outlined in Washington’s 14-point agreement with Tehran would hold and said he had seen no indication that the Strait of Hormuz had actually been closed.
He added that US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff had already arrived in Switzerland and were working on the technical aspects of the negotiations.
“Things are going well,” Vance said, citing conversations with the two negotiators earlier in the day.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
