- US Senator Chris Murphy criticised the Middle East war and its daily $2 billion cost to the US
- Iran charges $2 million toll for some vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz to assert control
- Iranian lawmaker said the toll reflects a new sovereign regime over the Strait after decades
US Senator Chris Murphy criticised the war in the Middle East and said that the US needs $2 billion every day to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He argued that the strait was open before the war started, calling the conflict a self-inflicted crisis causing American deaths, massive spending, and worldwide economic pain.
"Here's the problem. The strait was open before the war began, we are now seeking to solve a problem that we created. This is insanity!" he said.
"Two billion dollars is a lot of money. That's the minimum amount of money being spent every single day on this war..." he added.
BREAKING : 🇺🇸 Trump's own Senator gave him brutal reality check
— Ankit Mayank (@mr_mayank) March 25, 2026
Trump — We need $2 billion a day to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
US Senator — But the SOH was already open before the war? So what was the point of whole war?
You have created a Global Crisis OUT OF NOTHING” 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/JE72WcbHzj
Iran Charges Ships $2 Million Toll To Pass Strait Of Hormuz
Iran has decided to charge some vessels $2 million (approximately Rs18.8 crore) to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to leverage its control over the global shipping choke point amid its ongoing war with the US and Israel.
The massive toll has already been implemented, marking the new approach to controlling the critical waterway, Iranian lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who is a member of the parliament's national security committee, told state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), according to an Iran International report.
According to Boroujerdi, the move reflects what he called a new "sovereign regime" in the strait after decades. "Collecting $2 million as transit fees from some vessels crossing the strait reflects Iran's strength," Boroujerdi said.
"Now, because war has costs, naturally we must do this and take transit fees from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz," he added, claiming the move shows the Islamic Republic's "authority".
Iran Declares Sovereignty Over Strait Of Hormuz
Israel launched a new wave of strikes on Iran and threatened on Friday that its attacks "will escalate and expand" after US President Donald Trump claimed talks on ending the war were going well and gave Tehran more time to open the Strait of Hormuz, though there have been no signs of Iran backing down.
With stock markets reeling and economic fallout from the war extending far beyond the Middle East, Trump is under growing pressure to end Iran's chokehold on the strait, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil is usually shipped.
With time running out on a deadline set by Trump for Iran to open the strait, after which he had threatened to destroy Iran's energy plants, he pushed his self-imposed deadline back to April 6 on Thursday, saying that talks on ending the conflict were going "very well". Iran, however, maintains it is not engaged in any negotiations.
Iran has rejected the US offer and put forth its own five-point proposal, which includes reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
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