US President Donald Trump acknowledged that Persian Gulf countries have expressed opposition to his idea of imposing a shipping tax in the Strait of Hormuz, APA reports.
"I thought it was a good idea," Trump said during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi when asked by a reporter about his earlier proposal to charge the United States a 20% shipping security fee.
Trump said he had been contacted by Gulf leaders. "They said they'd like to do things differently," Trump said. Earlier on Tuesday, he announced that he had abandoned the idea of imposing a shipping fee in the strait in favor of trade and investment deals with Gulf countries.
"I've spoken to them all, and they would be happy to increase investment in the United States to record levels. That would be perfectly acceptable," Trump noted. According to the American leader's stated position, he "doesn't like the idea of fees." "But at the same time, I think it's unfair that we're defending the strait for the whole world, for China, for everyone. And I'm not against defending it for China, I'm not against defending it for anyone. But I think it's unfair that we don't get some kind of compensation for it," Trump asserted.
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on X
