US-Iran deal: Trump claims rapid Hormuz reopening while Tehran hints at 30-day timeline and maritime fees
A US-Iran framework accord promises to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but immediate discord over maritime fees and a 30-day versus immediate timeline exposes the fragility of the deal.
The announcement
On June 15, US President Donald Trump celebrated a framework deal with Iran that includes an end to military operations, a nuclear agreement, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. He claimed ships were already leaving and that the strait would be fully open by Friday June 19, when a signing ceremony is planned in Geneva. Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was named as a signatory alongside Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
- Framework agreement between US and Iran announced
- First LNG carrier passes Strait of Hormuz near Iranian coast
- Trump declares partial reopening; Macron pledges naval escorts; G7 summit begins
- French observation aircraft ready (per Macron)
- French frigates deployable
- Charles-de-Gaulle carrier group deployable
- Signing ceremony in Geneva; Trump says strait fully open
Disputed fees
The core friction is over Iran’s insistence on charging maritime service fees. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaïl Baghaï said Iran would not levy transit tolls but would charge for navigation services, environmental protection, and insurance. The Fars agency reported that the clause was added in the last moments of negotiations, explicitly citing Iranian-Omani sovereignty. Trump publicly declared the opening would be “without rights of passage.”
We have always maintained that we are not seeking to collect transit tolls, but that fees for navigation services, environmental protection, ship insurance and other necessary services will be charged.
Macron’s intervention
French President Emmanuel Macron, hosting the G7 in Évian, vowed to prevent any toll and offered naval escorts. He said French observation aircraft could assist the next day, frigates within 48 hours, and the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle within two to three days. Macron argued that a toll would violate international law and raise global prices.
We defend international law and we will do everything to ensure there is no toll in this strait, through which a fifth of the world’s hydrocarbon production transits.
What next?
Vice President Vance told CNBC the US expects no long-term toll and that the matter will be handled in technical negotiations set to begin within 60 days of the final agreement. Iran’s vice foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi outlined that the deal would immediately end hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, and that sanctions and other topics would be addressed in the follow-up talks. Iran’s Fars agency said the draft grants only a 60-day free passage period for ships, after which fees could apply.
Shipping slowly resumes
Despite 500 vessels still stuck, Kpler analyst Homayoun Falakshahi confirmed that a Qatari LNG carrier passed through the Iranian side of the strait overnight on June 15, describing the transit as “very, very timid” given the contradictory announcements. A full resumption of traffic depends on shipowners feeling safe, a process that Macron’s escort promise aims to accelerate.
It’s very, very timid and I think it’s linked to the fact that the announcements remain contradictory.
