The President of the United States, Donald Trump (Republican Party), confirmed that 34 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz last Sunday (April 12, 2026) – the highest number since Iran closed the route. The president insists that Tehran reopen the canal without charging navigation fees.
Previously, Trump said he will not accept a deal in which Iran has control and imposes a toll on the canal. According to him, only the United States has the right to control and collect taxes on ships crossing the strait.
The countries, which are in a temporary two-week ceasefire, have peace talks at a standstill. The impasse over the Strait of Hormuz is one of the reasons.
On Saturday (April 11), after 21 hours of negotiations with Iran, the vice president of the United States (Republican Party) said that the American delegation was leaving Islamabad without a peace agreement. The capital of Pakistan served as neutral territory to mediate negotiations to end the war, which did not make any progress. The armed conflict lasts more than 40 days.
WHAT EACH SIDE WANTS
Another obstacle in negotiations for a ceasefire is the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of global oil supplies pass, as well as important inputs for the global economy, such as liquefied natural gas and urea.
Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the conflict, which has contributed to rising global oil prices due to reduced supply and a shortage of flow in the main energy export route from the Persian Gulf. In this context of instability, Iran began to defend the charging of transit fees for vessels using the strait, as a way of obtaining direct revenue from maritime passage and reinforcing its strategic position on one of the most sensitive routes in global energy trade.
At this moment, according to Iranian authorities, the crossing is reopened, but under a , which maintains the climate of uncertainty and reduces the volume of crossings. Iran has announced that it will destroy ships that arrive in the Strait of Hormuz without authorization.
The North American demands are:
- free navigation in the Strait of Oormuz;
- contain the Iranian nuclear program and prevent advances in weapons capabilities;
- weaken Iranian military capacity in the regional conflict;
- reduce the influence of Tehran’s regional allies;
- maintain pressure for sanctions and economic limits on Iran.
Iran wants:
- maintain or expand control over the Strait of Hormuz;
- lift its economic sanctions;
- have access to financial assets frozen abroad;
- war reparations;
- broader regional ceasefire, including Lebanon;
- preserve strategic military and nuclear capabilities.
