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Trump pushes Iran for toll-free Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump insists connected a toll-free Strait of Hormuz, pushing backmost against Iran's claims of a 'controlled maritime zone' and imaginable tolls. The U.S. maintains full power done blockade measures, while economical sanctions and negotiated efforts pinch Gulf friends intensify unit connected Iran's atomic programme and location ambitions.
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Maritime search transmissions collapsed adjacent nan UAE’s main lipid hub, rattling Persian Gulf shipping hours earlier President Donald Trump announced advancement was made connected a bilateral bid woody pinch Iran, according to an AI maritime firm.
Maritime intelligence patient Windward AI first detected nan blackout successful Automatic Identification System (AIS) transmissions adjacent Fujairah, suggesting heightened physics warfare, jamming, deliberate AIS shutdowns and aggravated cyber interference adjacent nan cardinal UAE lipid port.
"Fujairah goes dark: AIS transmissions illness aft Iran’s PGSA announcement," Windward warned successful a station shared connected X.
"Vessels are still successful nan area. They are loading less, and a meaningful number person gone dark," nan patient said.
GULF SHIPPING OPERATIONS GRIND TO HALT NEAR IRAN, US QUIETLY PREPARES FOR POSSIBLE STRIKE: 'HEIGHTENED RISK'
A tanker sits astatine nan Port of Fujairah, arsenic nan U.S.-Israel conflict pinch Iran limits marine postulation successful nan Strait of Hormuz. (REUTERS / Amr Alfiky / File Photo)
As Trump announced that an Iran woody was "largely negotiated" and would spot a reopening of nan Strait of Hormuz, Fujairah went connected to move 1.35 cardinal barrels of crude Sunday aboard a azygous tanker bound for South Korea.
"Today, May 24, nan larboard moved 1.35 cardinal barrels, a azygous VLCC, destined for South Korea," Windward said earlier reporting a tense, ongoing "ceasefire posture" and blockade footprint quickly being group into place.
"One cargo doesn't people a return to baseline, but it's nan first awesome of travel resuming retired of Fujairah since nan announcement," Windward said.
Ahead of nan tube transfer, Trump had stated that Washington and Tehran had "largely finalized" a memorandum of knowing for a peace agreement. He posted an AI-generated image depicting exploding IRGC accelerated boats successful nan strait.
TRUMP SAYS IRAN DEAL ‘LARGELY NEGOTIATED’ AS 84-DAY WAR NEARS POSSIBLE END
A cargo vessel sails successful nan Persian Gulf toward nan Strait of Hormuz connected April 22, 2026. (AP Photo)
Iran responded straight by continuing to state nan strategical maritime chokepoint stays nether Tehran’s absolute control.
"We reaffirm that nan Strait of Hormuz will stay nether afloat Iranian management and sovereignty, moreover successful nan arena of reaching immoderate early agreement," Iran’s charismatic military spokesperson, Ibrahim Al-Fiqar, said successful a connection shared connected X.
"The Islamic Republic emphasizes that nan authorities to find transit routes, timing, and issuance of maritime licenses are an absolute sovereign correct exclusively successful nan hands of Tehran."
The tanker blackout, crude transportation activity and activity toward a U.S.-Iran woody accelerated pursuing nan motorboat of Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority connected May 20.
Overseen by nan Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, nan PGSA functions arsenic a sovereign regulator by requiring ships to taxable vessel, cargo, security and unit specifications — on pinch mandatory payments — for "safe passage" done nan strait.
Regional analysts told Fox News Digital that, up of woody progression, Iran’s territorial claims had moreover been stretching beyond its ain waters into areas tied to Oman and nan UAE.
US EYES IRAN FAST BOATS WITH ‘KILL’ TACTICS TESTED IN VENEZUELA DRUG-BOAT STRIKES
An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps speedboat sails successful nan Persian Gulf adjacent nan Bushehr atomic powerfulness works during a marine parade marking Persian Gulf National Day successful Bushehr, Iran, connected April 29, 2024. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)
Alex Vatanka, head of nan Iran Program astatine nan Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital that enforcement "relies connected nan IRGC Navy’s asymmetric playbook."
"This includes fast boats, drones, radar tracking, coastal missiles and selective intimidation alternatively than changeless beingness interdiction," Vatanka said.
"Tehran wants Gulf states and awesome importers to gradually judge Iranian oversight of Hormuz arsenic a caller geopolitical reality," he added.
While atomic issues are dominating nan existent negotiations amid reports of a 60-day ceasefire, nan PGSA has quickly emerged arsenic an economical leverage instrumentality threatening world lipid and shipping markets.
"Now Hormuz is Iran’s main non-nuclear leverage tool," Vatanka said arsenic nan PGSA he claimed gives Tehran a "mechanism to unit rivals, favour friends and normalize IRGC oversight of 1 of nan world’s astir captious power routes."
According to Vatanka, nan strategy was functioning arsenic a wartime extortion mechanism.
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"Ships taxable cargo and unit information for approval, while reports constituent to quiet ‘facilitation payments,’ preferential curen for friends states and uncertainty for everyone else," Vatanka warned.
"Iran keeps nan penalties deliberately vague. Noncompliant ships consequence delays, harassment, drone surveillance, IRGC interception aliases denial of safe transition — capable unit to promote compliance without outright closing nan strait."
Emma Bussey is simply a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked astatine The Telegraph pinch nan U.S. overnight team, crossed desks including foreign, politics, news, athletics and culture.
