Confusion Ensues Amid Contradictory Claims About Ceasefire

Sipa via AP Images

A “regional official” is claiming Iran will continue to charge tolls for cargo ships using the Strait of Hormuz following President Donald Trump announcing a two-week ceasefire.

The Associated Press reported on Tuesday shortly after Trump’s announcement about an extension that both Iran and Oman will continue to “charge fees on ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz,” citing a “regional official.” Iran has been charging tolls for weeks in the strait, since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes, where roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply moves through.

The official, who was reportedly involved in U.S. and Iran negotiations, claimed the money raised would be used for “reconstruction.”

But in his post announcing the ceasefire, Trump claimed Iran agreed “to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.”

In a Tuesday morning Truth Social post, Trump threatened to wipe out Iranian “civilization” if U.S. demands, like opening the Strait of Hormuz, were not met by an 8 p.m. deadline. Trump later extended the deadline by two weeks after accepting a proposal from Pakistan, which has been mediating negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.

Trump wrote:

A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!

Trump said later he received a 10-point proposal from Iran that he believes is a “workable basis” for negotiations going forward.

“We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate,” he wrote. “Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated.”

Trump’s White House lashed out at CNN over the posting of a statement from an Iranian official claiming victory over the U.S.

In response, a CNN spokesperson told Mediaite, “The statement in question was obtained by CNN from Iranian officials and reported on multiple Iranian state media outlets. We received the statement from specific official Iranian spokespeople who are known to us.”

The official claimed Iran had a “great victory” and “forced” the U.S. to accept their 10-point plan, which would include lifting sanctions and removing U.S. troops from the country, a statement Trump claimed was a “fraud.”

The Strait of Hormuz has caused some confusion among critics as the “regional official” claimed the tolling will continue during the ceasefire while Trump reposted a message from Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, declaring there would be “safe passage” in the strait for two weeks.

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