Iran peace hopes dangle by a thread as ceasefire 'violated' in Strait of Hormuz - Donald Trump brands Tehran 'dishonourable'

Dan McDonald
Thu, 09 Apr 2026 23:06:31 +0000

Hopes for peace in Iran look to be dangling by a thread after Donald Trump accused Tehran of violating Tuesday night's ceasefire agreement.

The President took a series of increasingly fierce swipes at the regime on social media overnight after it emerged it was charging fees to tankers going through the Strait of Hormuz.

Late on Thursday, Mr Trump warned the Iranians to "stop now" - then an hour later, said the country was "doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing oil to go through the strait".

"That is not the agreement we have," he added.

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Allowing the unfettered passage of oil through the vital waterway was a key detail of the President's breakthrough peace announcement earlier this week.

"Subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks," he said.

But now, Iran has started demanding payments for the hundreds of ships looking to pass through.

During the two-week ceasefire, Hamid Hosseini, Iran's oil exporters' union spokesman, declared that a $1 per barrel fee would be levied on the ships.

Vessels will also need to email Iranian authorities about what they are carrying, he told the Financial Times.

“Once the email arrives and Iran completes its assessment, vessels are given a few seconds to pay in bitcoin, ensuring they can’t be traced or confiscated due to sanctions," Mr Hosseini said.

On Wednesday, it emerged that tankers stationed in the Gulf received an unsettling radio broadcast from Iranian authorities - demanding they seek approval from the Islamic Republic or face military strikes.

The warning, delivered in English, said: “If any vessels try to transit without permission, [they] will be destroyed."

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Fears are also mounting that the ceasefire could collapse over Israel's continuation of strikes in Lebanon.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted he would carry on attacking Hezbollah - the most powerful regional proxy of Iran - with "full force".

Mr Netanyahu insisted “there is no ceasefire” in Lebanon - triggering retaliation threats from Tehran for the continued military action.

Iran's parliamentary Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf warned "time is running out" in an ominous message posted to social media.

He had earlier posted that “ceasefire violations carry explicit costs and strong responses", before urging Israel to "extinguish the fire immediately".

Under Iran's 10-point peace plan - which Mr Trump previously labelled as "workable" - Lebanon and the so-called "Resistance Axis" of Iranian allies are described as "an inseparable part of the ceasefire".

On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance suggested that Israel would rein in strikes on Lebanon to protect the fragile ceasefire.

Mr Vance - who has played a key role in negotiations with the Islamic Republic - said the Israeli leadership “offered to… check themselves a little bit in Lebanon, because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.

Back in Britain, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper accused Iran of holding "the global economy hostage” by closing the Strait of Hormuz, declaring there is "no place for tolls on an international waterway".

Speaking at Mansion House on Thursday, she said: “We were not involved in the start of this conflict but we will work together to support a sustainable end to it.

“So, most important of all for us, that means the restoration of freedom of navigation, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and getting the global economy moving once more.”

The Foreign Secretary said the Islamic Republic's closure of the vital waterway had wreaked havoc on supplies of “fertiliser for Africa, liquid natural gas for Asia, and jet fuel for the world”.

She continued: “The trading route for Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Oman all hijacked by Iran so that they can hold the global economy hostage.

“But this is an international shipping route, it’s a transit route for the high seas.

“No country can close those routes, and it goes against the fundamental principles of the Law of the Sea and here in Britain, the importance of this runs deep in our history.”