Iran insisted on Monday that it was not seeking to impose tolls on ships using the Strait of Hormuz, but rather it was working with Oman on the creation of a new governing mechanism for passage through one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, stating it will have costs to cover.
Speaking in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei pushed back against the criticism from Washington and the West that Iran was attempting to use the strait as a political weapon by monetising access it, and said “Iran does not charge tolls. There is no toll,” adding “We are not seeking to collect tolls.”
While rejecting the Western claims, he nonetheless acknowledged that any future system involving the vital strait would involve costs linked to maritime services, environmental protection and security operations jointly managed by Tehran and Muscat, as they border the narrow waterway.
“These require costs,” he said. “This should not be referred to as a toll. Iran and Oman are working responsibly in this direction, and we hope to reach a final outcome as soon as possible.”
The Strait of Hormuz, which control roughly a fifth of the total global oil flows, has remained commercially paralysed post the launch of the joint US-Israel war against Iran, resulting in the near total collapse of maritime traffic through the strait after the Iranian blockade, which only worsened after the US imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.
Iran has repeatedly argued that any new arrangement concerning the waterway is only related to safeguarding passage through the strait for vessels following months of conflict, rather than it asserting its ownership over international waters.
Baghaei said discussions over the strait formed part of wider negotiations with Washington aimed at ending the war and easing tensions in the Gulf.
“The deal is focused on ending the war,” he said. “It includes provisions related to the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting or termination of what is described as US maritime interference against Iranian shipping.”
He added that any agreement would first require the US to halt what Tehran describes as a maritime blockade against Iranian vessels.
“US actions described as a maritime blockade must be stopped,” Baghaei said. “At the same time the Islamic Republic of Iran will take the necessary measures to ensure safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The remarks came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected any suggestion that Iran could oversee a payment-based transit system in the waterway.
“There is not a country in the world that should accept” such an arrangement, Rubio said last week, accusing Iran of trying to persuade Oman to support “this tolling system in an international waterway”.
“That’s just not acceptable. It can’t happen,” he added.
