Trump says US may join Iran in charging Hormuz tolls
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US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Washington is considering a joint arrangement with Iran to charge tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl, Trump said the proposal would be a "joint venture" with Iran following a two-week ceasefire agreement between the two countries.
"We're thinking of doing it as a joint venture. It's a way of securing it, also securing it from lots of other people," Trump said, adding: "It's a beautiful thing."
Trump had earlier said the United States was considering imposing a toll on vessels using the strategic waterway, which links the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean.
The Strait of Hormuz lies largely within Iranian and Omani territorial waters and is one of the world's most important shipping routes for oil and gas.
Trump said the United States had won the conflict and claimed Iran had been militarily defeated.
"We're the winners. We won, OK? They are militarily defeated. The only thing they have is the psychology of, 'oh, we're going to drop a couple of mines in the water,'" he said.
According to shipping publication Lloyd's List, about 120 ships normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz each day.
Some media reports have suggested Iran may already be charging around $2 million per ship for passage through the strait.
If the United States imposed a similar charge, it could collect about $240 million a day from ship traffic.