Trump pressures Iran to make Strait of Hormuz toll-free
President Donald Trump pushes to make the Strait of Hormuz toll-free, pushing back against Iran’s claims of ‘controlled maritime zones’ and potential tolls. The US maintains full control through blockade measures, while economic sanctions and diplomatic efforts with Gulf allies increase pressure on Iran’s nuclear program and regional ambitions.
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Hours before President Donald Trump announced progress on a bilateral peace deal with Iran, maritime tracking transmissions collapsed near the United Arab Emirates’ main oil hub, affecting shipping in the Persian Gulf, according to an AI maritime firm.
Maritime intelligence firm Windward AI first detected the blackout in Automatic Identification System (AIS) transmissions near Fujairah, revealing increased electronic warfare, jamming, deliberate AIS shutdowns and intense cyber interference near the major UAE oil port.
“Fujairah goes dark: AIS transmissions shut down after Iran’s PGSA announcement,” Windward warned in a post shared on X.
“Vessels are still in the area. They are under loaded and a number of vessels have departed in the dark,” the company said.
Shipping operations halted in the Gulf near Iran, America quietly preparing for possible attack: ‘Danger increased’
A tanker sits at Fujairah port, as the US-Israel conflict with Iran limits maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters/Amar Alfiqi/file photo)
As Trump announced the Iran deal had been “substantially negotiated” and the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, Fujairah on Sunday shifted 1.35 million barrels of crude onto a single tanker bound for South Korea.
“Today, May 24, the port moved 1.35 million barrels, a single VLCC, bound for South Korea,” Windward said, before reporting the tense, ongoing “armistice posture” and blockade footprint quickly established.
“A cargo does not signal a return to baseline, but it is the first sign of resumption of flows from Fujairah following the announcement,” Windward said.
Before the barrel transfer, Trump said Washington and Tehran had “substantially finalized” a memorandum of understanding for a peace deal. He posted an AI-generated image depicting IRGC speedboats exploding in the strait.
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On April 22, 2026, a cargo ship headed towards the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. (AP photo)
Iran directly responded that the strategic maritime blockade point is under the full control of Tehran.
“We reaffirm that the Strait of Hormuz will remain under full Iranian administration and sovereignty, even in the event of reaching an agreement in the future,” Iran’s official military spokesman Ibrahim al-Fikar said in a statement shared on Twitter.
“The Islamic Republic emphasizes that the right to determine transit routes, timings and issue maritime licenses remains a fully sovereign right exclusively in the hands of Tehran.”
Tanker blackouts, crude transfer activity and movement toward a US-Iran deal intensified following the launch of Iran’s Persian Gulf Straits Authority on May 20.
Under the supervision of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, the PGSA acts as a sovereign regulator, requiring ships to submit mandatory payments as well as ship, cargo, insurance and crew details for “safe passage” through the strait.
Regional analysts told Fox News Digital that, before the deal progressed, Iran’s territorial claims were extending beyond its own waters to areas adjacent to Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
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An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps speedboat sails in the Persian Gulf near the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant during a maritime parade marking the National Day of the Persian Gulf in Bushehr, Iran, April 29, 2024. (Mortaza Nicoubazal/Nurfoto)
Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran program at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital that enforcement “relies on the IRGC navy’s asymmetric playbook.”
“This includes fast boats, drones, radar tracking, coastal missiles and selective intimidation rather than sustained physical intervention,” Vatanka said.
“Tehran wants Gulf states and major importers to gradually accept Iranian surveillance on Hormuz as a new geopolitical reality,” he said.
While nuclear issues are dominating the current talks amid reports of a 60-day ceasefire, the PGSA has increasingly emerged as an economic leverage tool posing a threat to global oil and shipping markets.
“Now Hormuz is Iran’s main non-nuclear leverage tool,” Vatanka said, claiming the PGSA gives Tehran “a mechanism to put pressure on rivals, curry favor with allies, and normalize IRGC surveillance of one of the world’s most important energy routes.”
According to Vatanka, the system was functioning as a wartime extortion mechanism.
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“Ships submit cargo and crew data for approval, while reports point to cool ‘facilitation payments’, preferential treatment for friendly states and uncertainty for everyone else,” Vatanka warned.
“Iran keeps penalties deliberately vague. Non-compliant ships risk delay, harassment, drone surveillance, IRGC interception or denial of safe passage – enough pressure to encourage compliance without closing the strait.”
