Trump retreat over Hormuz tolls suggests he is struggling to end Iran war

The US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) - and the hopes that came with it for an end to the war - died at 10:16 ET (16:16 BST) on Tuesday on Truth Social, when Trump announced a resumption of the US blockade of Iranian shipping, amidst a flurry of new US military strikes on targets across Iran.

On Monday morning, in a social media post announcing the resumption of an American naval blockade on Iranian shipping, he said that all vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz – including those of US allies - must pay a 20% fee to reimburse the US "for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the world".

But with the memorandum of understanding in tatters, the ceasefire ended and the prospect of further conflict looming, the end of the Iran War appears no closer to a resolution than it was in the weeks after it began.