U.S. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt takes questions from the media during a press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 8, 2026. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
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President Donald Trump wants to see the Strait of Hormuz open up for oil tankers and other traffic without any limitations, including tolls, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday.
“The immediate priority of the president is the reopening of the strait without any limitations, whether in the form of tolls or otherwise,” Leavitt said.
The U.S. has seen an uptick in traffic in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, Leavitt told reporters.
Leavitt was asked who currently controlled the Strait of Hormuz and declined to answer.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most strategically vital maritime chokepoints, with about 20% of the world’s seaborne crude oil and liquefied natural gas flows passing through it.
Amid ceasefire talks with the U.S. and Israel, Tehran has sought to formalize this control by proposing fees or tolls on vessels passing through the Strait, and Trump on Wednesday suggested the U.S. and Iran could collect tolls in a joint venture.
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(Reporting by Bo Erickson; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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