Trump hints U.S. may begin charging fees for ships passing through Strait of Hormuz

¬ American journalist Carlson says U.S. bombing of Iranian civilian facilities is unacceptable

¬ U.S. significantly increases procurement budget for anti-Iran intercept missiles

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U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States would rather charge fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz itself than allow Iran to do so.

Responding to a reporter’s question about whether he was prepared to allow Iran to charge fees for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an agreement, Trump stated: "I’d rather do it myself than let them do it. Why not? We’re the winners. We’ve won. They suffered military defeat. I mean, we have a plan—namely, we’ll charge fees for passage through the strait."

Previously, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States would not allow Iran to charge fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, and that President Trump has many ways to prevent such a scenario from occurring.

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Sputnik News, Washington, April 7 — American journalist Tucker Carlson said that the U.S. plan to bomb Iranian civilian infrastructure is completely unacceptable.

In a video posted on the social platform X, Carlson said: "We deliberately bombed Iran's civilian infrastructure—this is completely unacceptable."

He also believes that if the U.S. carries out strikes on Iranian civilian infrastructure as promised by President Trump, it would constitute a war crime. He added that the U.S. itself would not win in a conflict with Iran.

Carlson further stated: "Our president, less than one and a half months into a conflict that cannot be won because the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, already declared that we intend to use armed force to kill civilians in this country who did not choose this, and have no connection to it."

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According to Sputnik News review of U.S. budget documents, the Pentagon has requested a significant increase in funding for the procurement of "THAAD" systems and "Patriot"-3MSE intercept missiles aimed at Iran.

The total budget request for fiscal year 2027 amounts to $25.4 billion. The THAAD program’s budget is increasing by 14 times—from $823 million to $11.43 billion. Meanwhile, the project has been transferred from the Missile Defense Agency to the Army.

The situation is similar for the "Patriot"-3MSE intercept missiles. The Army has requested $12.23 billion, seven times more than last year. For the first time in history, the Navy has applied for a $1.7 billion budget to equip its warships with these missiles.

It is reported that during the U.S. military’s "Epic Fury" operation against Iran, intercept missiles were extensively used. According to analysis by the Payne Institute, within just the first 16 days of the operation, the U.S. consumed 402 Patriot missiles and 198 THAAD interceptors—accounting for approximately 40% of their total stockpile.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1861774966450247/

Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author