Trump says Strait of Hormuz will reopen shortly, says Iran cannot charge toll

President Trump says he wants to see oil traffic flow freely in the Persian Gulf region “with or without” Iran’s cooperation as negotiations to end the war get underway.

Mr. Trump also said Friday he would not let Iran impose tolls on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for oil tankers, as delegations arrived in Pakistan for high-stakes negotiations.

“If they do that, we’re not going to allow that to happen,” Mr. Trump said as he left the Beltway region for a political event in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Vice President JD Vance traveled to Islamabad on Friday to lead the US delegation in talks likely to end the six-week war. Mr. Trump and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire earlier in the week to allow further negotiations.

“I wish him well,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Vance.

Mr. Trump said that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons was “99%” of the negotiation.

The United States and Israel launched joint strikes on February 28 to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities and limit its ability to finance terrorism in the region.

The first strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader and other top officials, although Iran’s retaliation against Gulf countries and the Strait of Hormuz crackdown led to higher oil prices and difficulties at the pump at U.S. gas stations.

Mr. Trump exuded confidence that the Strait of Hormuz would open, one way or another.

“They are militarily defeated, and now we are going to open the Gulf, with or without them,” Mr. Trump said. “I think it’s going to go pretty quickly. And if it doesn’t, we can finish it. One way or another, it’s going well.”