Hormuz 'Free Access' Limited to 60 Days; Fierce Tug-of-War Expected

[Anchor]

The complete reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remains uncertain. The ceasefire memorandum of understanding, which spans just one and a half pages, specifies that the strait will be open free of charge for only 60 days. Iran has already signaled its intention to impose fees after that period.

Reporter Park Won-gyeong has the story.

[Reporter]

[Trump/U.S. President: We have reached an agreement that (the Strait of Hormuz) will be open and no tolls will be charged.]

U.S. President Donald Trump claims that the Strait of Hormuz will be free and open for passage, just as it was before the war.

However, Iran has a different take.

Tehran asserts that it has secured the right to impose fees once the 60-day period for the main negotiations concludes.

[Esmaeil Baghaei/Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: Costs for services such as ship insurance and other provisions to be offered by Iran and Oman, based on their respective proportions, will be calculated and collected.]

As controversy grows over whose statement is accurate, a senior U.S. official stated in a press briefing that the ceasefire memorandum explicitly mentions the Strait of Hormuz will be open without tolls for 60 days.

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who led the negotiations, also expressed hope that free passage would continue through future talks.

[Vance/U.S. Vice President: Our expectation is that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open without tolls in the long term.]

This is an admission that the memorandum signed by both parties does not guarantee the "permanent free passage" described by President Trump.

Vice President Vance also noted that the one-and-a-half-page memorandum lacks specificity, meaning solutions for many pending issues must be found during the main negotiations.

[Vance/U.S. Vice President: This memorandum is a page and a half long, a very general document. We will need to work out the specific details in the technical negotiation phase that will follow.]

Reports have also emerged that support Iran's claim that reconstruction funds were included in the memorandum.

The Financial Times reported, citing an official, that the creation of a $300 billion reconstruction fund centered on private companies was discussed during the ceasefire talks, with companies from Europe, the U.S., Japan, and South Korea showing interest.

Seemingly targeting this report, President Trump pushed back, calling the claim that the U.S. is paying money to Iran "fake news" spread by the opposition party.

(Video Editing: Park Chun-bae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.