White House official: Trump took the 20 per cent toll scheme very seriously

On 14 July, the United States media reported that a White House official had stated that Trump's plan to levy a 20 per cent toll on goods passing through the Strait of Hormuz was “very serious”, a plan that he had been trying to move forward for months. Trump has long been interested in levying tolls and, in April, questioned why his Government “does not” do so and threatened to charge in June if the agreement with Iran was not completed within 60 days. But Trump did not always put his ideas into practice, and until this week he refused to officially announce the plan – partly because there was opposition in his inner circle. “This has always been what he wanted to do, but someone tried to convince him to give up,” White House officials said. “It's always his instinct to him, and he's just back in his pocket.” It is not clear how this system, which is linked to the re-establishment of the Strait ' s maritime blockade, will operate and whether the United States has even consulted with the Gulf States in this regard. According to the official, the details of the plan are still being finalized。