Trump says he’s considering ‘joint venture’ with Iran for Strait of Hormuz tolls (thehill.com)
from 8oow3291d@feddit.dk to world@lemmy.world on 11 Apr 12:32
https://feddit.dk/post/21011406

President Trump on Wednesday said he is considering the formation of a “joint venture” with Iran to set up tolls in the Strait of Hormuz after the Trump administration and Tehran agreed to a two-week ceasefire deal.

[…]

The president also suggested Monday that the U.S. could impose its own tolls on vessels trying to transit through the channel. Leaders in Tehran signaled last week it would install a “toll booth” system to exert a price on ships seeking safe passage through the strait.

#world

threaded - newest

8oow3291d@feddit.dk on 11 Apr 12:35 next collapse

This is insane. I don’t know why this hasn’t got wider news coverage.

I were not able to find a better news article, but this news article somehow failed to mention the central fact that anybody demanding tolls, whether Iran or USA or both, is unambiguously illegal under international law. It is an international strait, and there is right of navigation for ships. Legal Eagle describes why the tolls are illegal: Trump’s Illegalist War Gets Illegaler.

einkorn@feddit.org on 11 Apr 13:04 next collapse

It is an international strait, and there is right of navigation for ships.

Says who? May I introduce you to the wonderful world of gunboat diplomacy? /s

8oow3291d@feddit.dk on 11 Apr 13:15 collapse

Says who?

The most extraordinary thing here is perhaps that the US is not saying so. With Trump talking about imposing tolls. It used to be that like the #1 priority of Pax Americana was to insure international freedom of navigation.

But Trump just casually throws that out the window, I assume in an unvetted 2AM Truth Social rant (I haven’t actually checked where and when Trump said it).

einkorn@feddit.org on 11 Apr 13:41 collapse

How long though till Trump is the US, though?

8oow3291d@feddit.dk on 11 Apr 13:56 collapse

Trump is President. Trump is the US right now. It is dangerous to pretend he is not.

And it is not just an aberration. Congress could remove Trump any time they wanted to. But they do not.

prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 11 Apr 13:17 next collapse

is unambiguously illegal under international law.

Oh honey…

8oow3291d@feddit.dk on 11 Apr 13:20 next collapse

This specific part of international law has been almost universally observed for many decades. It actually matters.

EvergreenGuru@lemmy.world on 11 Apr 14:19 next collapse

incoherent mumbling “~rules based order…~”

realitista@lemmus.org on 11 Apr 15:23 next collapse
WanderingThoughts@europe.pub on 11 Apr 16:24 collapse

Who’s going to enforce it? Not the USA.

socsa@piefed.social on 11 Apr 18:10 collapse

Well what will happen is that US courts will declare it illegal, but after attention spans have moved on, so the end result will be that Iran just wins in the end, and oil gets more expensive.

CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de on 11 Apr 13:29 next collapse

It’s fully within the territorial waters of Iran or Oman. I’m not an international law expert but it seems that it’s a practiced convention not a legally enforceable rule.

Besides, international law is about who has the bigger stick.

8oow3291d@feddit.dk on 11 Apr 13:59 collapse

not a legally enforceable rule.

Anything is enforceable with enough bombs, if there is a will. Any previous US President, Democrat or Republican, would have enforced it no question.

NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io on 11 Apr 14:37 collapse

K? Are we supposed to look up to previous US presidents as authorities on international law?

8oow3291d@feddit.dk on 11 Apr 18:15 collapse

as authorities

You can pick any authority you want. No reasonable person disagree on what international law says here.

village604@adultswim.fan on 11 Apr 14:23 next collapse

Huh? This news has been posted multiple times on here over the past 3 days.

realitista@lemmus.org on 11 Apr 15:21 collapse

Yeah because the law is the one thing that can stop Trump, right? Let’s stop kidding ourselves. The only thing proven to stop Trump is leverage and force. It doesn’t even take that much because he’s so stupid he can’t usually figure out ways around it.

8oow3291d@feddit.dk on 11 Apr 17:42 collapse

Everybody benefits from the free trade system working - and that depends on international freedom of navigation law being respected. Also Trump voting Republicans, and Republican Congressmen, benefit.

In a sane world, US voters would stop Trump. In their own rational self interest.

realitista@lemmus.org on 11 Apr 19:54 collapse

None of Trump’s voters are anywhere near understanding this though. They overwhelmingly vote against their own rational self interests time and time again. So a sane world is not the one we get.

disorderly@lemmy.world on 11 Apr 13:19 next collapse

Gosh, I wonder what Iran thinks about that idea? The article has this to say:

Any “joint venture” was not part of Iran’s 10-point peace plan that the U.S. agreed to and the president previously called “workable.”

And that’s it! Guess this one is still in the “concept of a plan” phase.

CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de on 11 Apr 13:30 next collapse

“Joint venture” wherein the USA saves a few trillion dollars by standing down in Iran, and Iran tolls every ship that passes.

Art of the Deal.

someguy3@lemmy.world on 11 Apr 14:11 next collapse

Lmao Trump sees an opportunity to swindle and is all over it. Art of the deal!

bajabound@lemmy.world on 11 Apr 15:20 next collapse

You won’t be saying that when your toll checks start coming in about 2 weeks from now! /s

jj4211@lemmy.world on 11 Apr 17:09 collapse

I know you are kidding, but if a monthly toll dividend payment went out to taxpayers even for a pittance, lots of folks would probably cheer the conquest happily.

bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 11 Apr 17:53 collapse
WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world on 11 Apr 16:52 collapse

Art of the steal

Zahtu@feddit.org on 11 Apr 14:16 next collapse

these was a guy in the comments 2-4 Weeks ago, who was already calling for that being the whole reason of the war. Trump and his lackeys are really executing the biggest grift in history. And the World only watches.

With Iran beging a close russian ally and the Trump administration the same (looking at Vance in Hungary), i dont think its too far fetched, that the whole pupeteer all along has been the Kremlin, achieving multiple goals at the same time. most importantly achieving financing for the continuation oft their Ukraine war.

middlemanSI@lemmy.world on 11 Apr 14:30 next collapse

A collective “Fuck you, sit down and shut up” to Mr. Pedo would be nice.

CaptainBasculin@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 11 Apr 14:43 next collapse

here’s a joint venture idea to Trump: your goal is to fuck off as much as you can with your buddy Israel, and Iran do the toll collecting. Iran get benefits from tolls, and you get benefits by stabilising gas prices over time.

manxu@piefed.social on 11 Apr 15:25 next collapse

I know the man is just throwing mud at the wall to see what sticks, but the whiplash from “civilizational erasure” and “back to the Stone Ages” to “buddy-buddy halfsies on illegal tolls” is a little much.

Triumph@fedia.io on 11 Apr 16:06 next collapse

Is anyone else considering it?

8oow3291d@feddit.dk on 11 Apr 17:38 collapse

That is the question. The current world system depends on there not being these kinds of tolls. But if Trump legitimizes them, then world trade could be fucked.

The current system has worked so well for so long, people don’t even seem to realize how much wealth it generates for everybody. And that it doesn’t need to be this way. Actually not unlike what happens in the US, if the rule of law collapses completely.

daannii@lemmy.world on 11 Apr 19:05 next collapse

If Iran is sharing toll money with anyone, its China.

TotallynotJessica@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 11 Apr 20:05 collapse

The bigger irony of this is that a Trump actually doing this would further turn the world away from the US. If it was just Iran imposing the toll, over time the international community would sour on Iran for not moving past the war. This would economically benefit the US more than any direct cashflow from a toll ever would, as it would stabilize devestment from America. Now nobody will ever blame Iran for the toll, solidifying the loss in American soft power forever.