Trump urged ships to start; Hormuz still not

Strait of – Trump’s “Ships of the world, start your engines” line met a harsher reality on Friday: about 1,500 vessels are still waiting to leave the Persian Gulf, shipping companies are asking how quickly safety work will make routes truly usable, and a fresh dispute is

The president’s message landed with the kind of certainty only a commander-in-chief can deliver. On Friday. President Donald Trump said merchant ships could once again sail unimpeded through the Strait of Hormuz—pronouncing the moment in a single. cinematic line: “Ships of the world. start your engines.”.

But the departures didn’t start on cue. Even with an announced agreement to extend a ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, ships remain stuck in the Persian Gulf. Industry analysts put the number of vessels waiting at about 1,500, including hundreds of ocean-going ships such as oil tankers.

Before the U.S. and Israel went to war against Iran at the end of February. 140 ships passed through the Strait each day. according to both industry analysts and U.S. officials. After the attacks. Iran closed the Strait to traffic—firing drones and missiles at ships and laying mines along shipping lanes. actions described by U.S. officials.

The U.S. has already begun changing that reality. Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for U.S. Central Command. said the military has started removing some of those mines and has opened a new pathway off Oman so ships can leave without having to hug the Iranian coast. Hawkins said it was “a U.S. effort,” but he would not discuss how long the mine-removal work would take.

Now the demining is set to broaden. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this week that Britain and France will take part in demining now that an agreement has been announced. Starmer said. “The UK and France have taken a leading role up to this point. ” adding that they had offered “support on mine clearance in an agreed way.”.

British officials said their contribution would include autonomous mine-hunting sea drones. counter drone systems. Typhoon jets. and the HMS Dragon. as part of a defensive mission aimed at securing freedom of navigation. American officials have not detailed what assets the U.S. military is using for the demining mission, but military analysts say the U.S. is relying on a mix of drone boats, helicopters, and warships.

Even so. the central question isn’t whether ships can move in theory—it’s whether shipping companies will believe they can move safely in practice and fast enough to restart commerce. A U.S. official briefing reporters this week said the southern route off Oman is already seeing increased traffic. The official said. “We’ve been getting as much as 25 ships through a day. ” and expected that number to rise “to maybe 40 to 50 pretty quickly. That’s just the southern line. By Friday, everything will be fully open.”.

When asked how quickly normal business could return. the official said: “So I think it will return to normal pretty quickly. definitely within 30 days.” That timeline was described as “realistic” based on the idea that the U.S. has taken out a high number of Iran’s minelaying vessels. Scott Savitz. a senior engineer at the RAND School of Public Policy who has provided analytical support to the U.S. Navy and its mine warfare command, said the demining efforts should reach “an acceptable level of risk.”.

Confidence, though, is not the same as permission.

Tom Bartošák-Harlow. spokesman for the International Chamber of Shipping. doubted merchant ships would quickly “start their engines and head for the exit.” In an email to NPR. he said there are “still a lot of risks associated with transit. ” and described a “gradual process of confidence amongst shipping companies.” He said that confidence would likely build through “a series of actions rather than just one.”.

Bartošák-Harlow pointed to what those actions would be. He cited “Confirmation” that transit areas contain no mines, and assurances that the U.S.-Iran agreement “is holding.”

The mine question is only part of it. Another flashpoint is money: what, if anything, Iran will charge for passage.

Bartošák-Harlow said there is no conclusive evidence about who has and hasn’t paid a toll in the past, and added that there wasn’t any sort of record. He also said companies should not be paying a toll for passage through an international waterway.

Trump has insisted the Strait of Hormuz will be “permanently toll free. ” and Vice President JD Vance said it will be “toll free for the long term.” But in March. the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps set up what has been described as a “toll booth.” It remains unclear whether any ship owners actually paid.

Now Iran is drawing a line meant to keep the dispute from sounding like a toll. Esmaeil Baqaei. a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry. said vessels transiting the Strait will not pay tolls but will pay “service fees” for navigation-related facilities. environmental protection. and maritime support services.

That distinction may not settle the legal fight. James R. Holmes, chair of maritime strategy at the U.S. Naval War College. told The New York Times that “There is no provision in international law for a coastal state charging for passage through a natural waterway. whether you call it a toll or a fee or whatever.” The uncertainty now is whether the Trump administration. once the agreement is unveiled. will accept Iran’s position—or treat a “service fee” as functionally the same charge as a toll.

The sequence laid out by officials—mine removal. a southern route off Oman. demining support from Britain and France—points to a reopening that could happen in stages. At the same time. shipping firms are being asked to rebuild trust not just in the ceasefire. but in the safety perimeter around a corridor that carries global energy and remains vulnerable to both mines and policy disputes over costs.

Strait of Hormuz Iran Trump ships demining mines Persian Gulf JD Vance tolls service fees U.S. Central Command U.S. Navy Britain France ceasefire