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Ted Cruz: “Iran was trying to charge a toll of 2 million bucks a ship.”

Featuring: Ted Cruz, Republican | U.S. Senate, Texas

No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel...

Published April 13, 2026 | Video Starts at 21:32

It is another way of inflicting enormous leverage on Iran. It's not as significant as taking out the power plants and the bridges, which the President may still do. It also shuts down. Iran was trying to charge a toll of 2 million bucks a ship. and suddenly make revenue. I love that. The President said, you know what? Any ship that pays that toll will not be allowed to traverse the seas. (21:32–21:39)

CLAIM

Asserts that Iran attempted to charge a $2 million toll per ship.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Ted Cruz

“Iran's exports fell from a million barrels a day to about 300,000 after [Trump] ended the oil waivers.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 16:38-16:44
“Iran's oil exports grew from 300,000 barrels a day to 2 million barrels a day under Joe Biden.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 20:11-20:23
“The Biden administration flowed more than $80 billion into Iran by not enforcing the oil sanctions.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 20:30-20:47
“90% of Hamas and Hezbollah's money comes from Iran.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 20:52-20:56
“It took Iran 40 years to build up its military. It took us 39 days to utterly and completely destroy it.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 24:26-24:34
“The Ethics committee, which is bipartisan, declared her guilty on 25 out of 27 ethics charges from stealing up to $5 million of FEMA money.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 37:15-37:30
“The Iranians were unwilling to move at all, in particular on nuclear weapons.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 00:27-00:34
“They want a nuclear weapon because they want to be able to use a nuclear weapon.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 00:34-00:39
“President Trump quite rightly is insisting under no circumstances will the regime of Iran be allowed to have nuclear weapons.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 00:39-00:48
“The president responded by ordering a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, shutting down every ship going into and out of the strait.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 00:48-00:56
“The President had drawn a series of red lines. His red lines were, number one, Iran must have no enrichment whatsoever.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 04:20-04:28
“Number two, Iran must give up all of its already enriched uranium.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 04:28-04:34
“Number three, Iran had to agree to completely open the Strait of Hormuz.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 04:34-04:39
“Number four was Iran had to stop funding terrorism across the globe.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 04:40-04:45
“J.D. Vance has been the most vocal opponent of military action against Iran.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 04:55-05:26
“Iran promised to open the Strait of Hormuz and they knowingly failed to do so.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 05:41-05:47
“The vast majority of the revenue Iran takes in is from selling their oil.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 12:03-12:08
“They sell the bulk of that oil to China.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 12:08-12:11
“This blockade, shutting down all of the shifts and ships, and there's an entire ghost fleet that has been built up of ships that have been…”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 12:11-12:22
“That ghost fleet will not be able to travel through the Strait of Hormuz, will not be able to carry any Iranian oil.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 12:21-12:29
“It means there's going to be no Iranian oil being sold, no money coming in.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 12:28-12:34
“By shutting down the strait, it also means there are going to be no incoming material to Iran through the Strait of Hormuz.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 12:42-12:52
“It also puts a lot of pressure on China because they rely on that oil from Iran.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 12:54-12:59
“Western Europe, I think, is basically on a suicide pact. They have brought in such a massive Muslim immigration that the leaders in Western…”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 13:15-13:34
“Iran was selling roughly 1 million barrels a day of oil at the beginning of the Trump administration.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 16:38-16:44
“Joe Biden came in and almost immediately just stopped enforcing the sanctions.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 19:03-19:09
“$80 billion, in a real sense, paid for the death squads on October 7th.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 20:56-21:03
“President Trump is shutting down the ghost fleet that is incredibly potent.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 21:03-21:13
“For 60 plus years since World War II, the seas have been free and open and navigable because the United States protects the waterways.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 21:47-21:58
“The Trump administration has been very reluctant to use the words regime change.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 24:58-25:04
“This is a regime that hates America. That is a radical, theocratic regime that for 47 years has been actively murdering Americans, funding…”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 25:39-25:52
“The reason they [Iran] want nuclear weapons is to murder Americans.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 25:53-25:58
“The regime has never been weaker.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 26:02-26:05
“We ought to be arming rebel groups in Iran to topple the regime.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 27:10-27:15
“Taking out the ayatollah and the senior leadership is a big, big deal.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 27:59-28:03
“The president is focused on preventing a nuclear weapon [in Iran].”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 28:07-28:11
“I think we ought to be using every lever point we have to try to collapse [the Iranian] regime.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 28:12-28:27
“Just a week ago, [Eric Swalwell] was the frontrunner among the Democrats to be the next governor of California.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 30:45-30:52
“It was clear when this story broke. Everyone knew Swalwell's gubernatorial campaign was over the instant it broke.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 31:02-31:10
“This is not just one allegation. It's multiple allegations. It's allegations of a pattern of misconduct.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 31:13-31:19
“This was so widespread to see 50 Swalwell staffers come out against him.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 31:58-32:03
“California has this weird jungle primary where there's not a Democrat primary and a Republican primary.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 33:10-33:17
“There was a possibility, not a likelihood, but a possibility, that the top two vote getters could be the two Republicans.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 33:23-33:32
“There were multiple polls that had come out that showed the two Republicans as one and two.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 33:42-33:47
“It would not surprise me if Swalwell is out of Congress by the end of the week because this is getting a lot of momentum.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 35:07-35:14
“There is a second Democrat House member, Shelia cheerfully as McCormick of Florida, who should also be expelled from Congress.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 37:03-37:13
“She is likely going to jail for stealing millions of taxpayer dollars.”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 37:30-37:37
“Almost all the press coverage, there's actually very little coverage. But what little there is, they almost all leave out that she's a…”
No Deal: Trump Moves to Blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Defies Nuclear Demands plus Swalwel... | Uploaded April 13, 2026 | 38:04-38:12