The United States is urging Iran to abandon plans to impose transit fees on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that the economic benefits of a comprehensive nuclear agreement would far outweigh any revenue generated from charging ships, according to a report by Axios.
The report said both sides have set a 60-day deadline to reach a comprehensive nuclear agreement. However, two weeks into the process, Washington and Tehran remain divided over the interpretation of key provisions in the memorandum of understanding they previously signed, making the collapse of the preliminary agreement more likely than a final deal at this stage.
According to Axios, the United States and Iran reached an understanding last Sunday to reduce tensions in the Strait of Hormuz for one week following a series of reciprocal attacks, leaving open the possibility of renewed confrontation once the temporary arrangement expires.
A U.S. official told Axios that both sides had agreed to maintain calm over the coming week to allow progress on all aspects of the memorandum in a negotiating environment free from military escalation. The official added that President Donald Trump had warned that the United States would respond with greater force to any further attacks, weakening Iran’s position in the strait.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that an American technical team was holding discussions in Doha with Iranian, Qatari, and other representatives to sustain progress, describing the negotiations as still in their early stages but moving in a positive direction.
The report added that Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met Tuesday with Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and other Qatari mediators before meeting the Emir of Qatar on Wednesday in an effort to pave the way for technical talks between the U.S. and Iranian delegations.
Two regional sources told Axios the meetings were positive and helped create favorable conditions for launching the technical negotiations, although it remained unclear whether Witkoff and Kushner met directly with Iranian officials.
The report said discussions in Doha focused primarily on the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s frozen assets, and the ceasefire in Lebanon.
Axios also reported that Iran’s attacks on several commercial vessels last week were largely triggered by the establishment of a new shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz along Oman’s coastline, a move that angered Tehran.
Iran continues to publicly assert that it shares sovereignty over the strait with Oman and that both countries intend to jointly administer it and impose transit fees after the 60-day period specified in the memorandum expires.
The United States, however, maintains that any new arrangements concerning the strait, as an international waterway, must also receive the approval of Gulf states. Iran argues that the strait lies within its territorial waters and that Gulf countries may express their views, but the final decision rests with Tehran.
According to the report, this dispute was one of the key issues discussed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio with his counterparts from six Gulf states during meetings in Bahrain last week.
A U.S. official said Gulf countries are currently consulting on how the strait should be managed after the memorandum expires and that these discussions overlap with the ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiations.
The report revealed that Witkoff and Kushner urged Iranian officials to reconsider imposing transit fees, arguing that such a move could jeopardize a broader U.S.-Iran agreement that would provide Iran with far greater long-term economic benefits.
According to the official, Washington’s message to Tehran was: “Think bigger.” He said the revenue Iran could generate by freely developing and exporting its oil and other natural resources after the lifting of U.S. sanctions would be 100 times greater than any income from charging ships to transit the strait.
The official added that Washington wants Iran to view its economic future within the framework of a broader nuclear agreement that would also include regional non-interference arrangements.
Trump said Wednesday that the United States had held “very good” meetings with Iran and that negotiations were progressing well.
The report noted that although Trump publicly ruled out a rapid return to war, sources said he had expressed significant frustration over last week’s Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Another U.S. official and a separate source said Trump had requested a briefing on available military options before ultimately deciding to allow negotiations to continue. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that he had sought such a briefing.
In another development, Axios cited Al Arabiya as reporting that the United States and Iran had reached an understanding during the Doha talks regarding the release of the first tranche of Iranian frozen assets held in Qatar.
A regional source said the funds total $3 billion and would not be transferred directly to Iran. Instead, the Central Bank of Iran would be allowed to use them to purchase humanitarian goods, with part of those purchases sourced from the United States.
However, U.S. officials denied that any such agreement had been reached, insisting that no frozen assets have been released.
The report also said U.S. negotiators informed the Iranian delegation that Washington intends to continue restraining Israel and ensuring its compliance with the ceasefire in Lebanon.
According to a regional source, the United States views Israel’s planned withdrawal from two pilot areas in southern Lebanon as an initial step that could lead to further withdrawals if implemented successfully.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that the U.S. president had committed to restraining Israel’s actions, adding that if Israel ignored those commitments, Iran would “teach it a lesson.”
Axios
