Iran is exploring a new plan to charge vessels using the Strait of Hormuz for security, safety, and environmental services, a proposal that officials estimate could bring in around $40 billion annually. The initiative, reportedly being discussed with Gulf states and China, draws inspiration from Turkey's system of levies on ships passing through the Dardanelles, according to a Wall Street Journal report. If implemented, it would give Tehran cash flow and control that it didn't command before the war.
According to the report, Tehran is pitching the idea to the wider Middle East and as far afield as Beijing, according to Iranian officials. It wants its Persian Gulf neighbours to be part of the agreement and share the revenue, they said.
“Everyone needs to know that management of the strait will never return to the way it was before,” said Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, during a visit to Oman on Tuesday to discuss the proposed arrangements with its neighbour across the waterway, WSJ reported.
Notably, US Secretary of StateMarco Rubiohas pushed back against the idea of tolls or fees in the strait during a trip to theMiddle Eastthis week, saying that tolls or fees would set a dangerous precedent that would spread like a contagion and cause chaos.
“The reality is that no country on earth has the right to charge for the use of international waterways, and that will never be an acceptable condition of any deal,” he said during a stop in Bahrain. Rubio added that Persian Gulf countries had rejected the idea of charges to cross the strait.
Meanwhile, shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is gradually recovering, with around 70 vessels crossing the strategic waterway on Wednesday, the highest daily count since the conflict began, according to ship-tracking data. Before the war, the strait typically handled about 130 oil tankers a day.
Under the 60-day ceasefire agreement, Iran is responsible for clearing mines from the waterway and ensuring toll-free passage for all ships during the truce. However, the deal also gives Tehran a role in shaping the future management of the vital shipping lane, despite its long-standing refusal to recognise international maritime law governing the strait.
Iran has already begun tightening its oversight. It has established an insurance company that it says vessels must use to transit the strait, and on Thursday warned that ships sailing outside designated routes would be considered at risk and that such movements were prohibited, according to Iranian state media.
Ananya is a journalist with a strong grounding in breaking news and a deep-rooted passion for geopolitics. She has 6 years of experience in TV and Dig...View More
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