President Trump has repeatedly said that Iran "better not" collect tolls from ships seeking to traverse the Hormuz Strait waterway, as both warring sides have initiated their own rival blockades of different sectors of the strait.
Just last week, Trump had flatly rejected the possibility of Tehran imposing fees - reportedly $2 million or perhaps even more - when a reporter asked about the prospect of restrictions or tolls managed by Iran for strait passage. "Nope. No way. No. Nope," Trump had responded. He said there can't be tolls along with restrictions, suggesting that a future system could perhaps be worked out, even of some kind of toll-sharing scheme. "No, they’re not going to be tolls."
Earlier this month the president had even stated of tolls, "We're thinking of doing it as a joint venture" - in reference to Washington and Tehran, which of course raised eyebrows. "It’s a way of securing it — also securing it from lots of other people. It’s a beautiful thing."
"We’ll be loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just ‘hangin’ around’ in order to make sure that everything goes well," Trump had later separately written on Truth Social. "I feel confident that it will."
But after all this, on Thursday Iran has publicly announced for the first time that initial toll payments have been successfully transferred to the state-operated Central Bank of Iran (CBI):
The Iranian authorities have received revenue from tolls for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz for the first time, Parliament Deputy Speaker Hamid Reza Hajibabai said.
"The first revenue received from tolls in the Strait of Hormuz has been transferred to the Central Bank's account," the Fars news agency quoted him as saying.
A specific monetary amount was not given, but this week has seen reports that several Iranian tankers, with transponders off, have made it past the US Navy's blockade - which the Pentagon has denied. State media says:
IRAN RECEIVED HARD CURRENCY PAYMENT FOR HORMUZ TOLL: FARS
According to Drop Site News:
Iran formally codified the toll system in its “Strait of Hormuz Management Plan,” passed by parliament on March 30-31. The IRGC charges up to $2 million per vessel, with fees running approximately $1 per barrel of crude cargo — meaning a fully loaded supertanker could pay $2 million per transit.
Also, the US side has said that dozens of international vessels have been approved for safe passage and have made it out. The US is halting and intercepting any vessel connected with Iranian ports, whether they be inbound or outbound, and especially if they are under sanction.